Niacin vs Statins for heart & lipids
Short answer: For heart & lipids, more users report improvement with Statins — 100% of 5 reports, versus 85% of 13 for Niacin.
Niacin has 114 meta-analyses and 379 randomized trials on PubMed; Statins has 1,814 and 2,354.
Based on 269 reports about Niacin and 16 about Statins. Not medical advice.
| Niacin Supplement | Statins Medication | |
|---|---|---|
| Users say it helped | 71%helped94 reports · medium confidence | 40%helped10 reports · few reports |
| Verdict | Mostly positive | Mixed |
| Research | AResearch: Strong | AResearch: Strong |
| Meta-analyses / RCTs | 114 / 379 | 1,814 / 2,354 |
| Mainly used for | ||
| Mood % reporting improvement | 71% (21) | — |
| Heart & lipids % reporting improvement | 85% (13) | 100% (5) |
| Energy % reporting improvement | 93% (15) | — |
| Anxiety % reporting improvement | 93% (14) | — |
| Focus % reporting improvement | 100% (11) | — |
| Common side effects | flushing, flush, stomach issues, liver damage | nutrient depletion, myopathy related, fatigue, brain fog |
| Typical dose reported | 100-200 mg | Not listed |
This guideline should enable addressing suboptimal and deficient status of a bundle of MNs in at-risk diseases. In particular, it offers practical advice on MN provision and monitoring during nutritional support.
Clin Nutr, 2022 ↗“If you over methylate, niacin may also help you. Binds to free methyl groups... It's how I fixed my heart palpitations after taking methylsulfonymethan.”
These results confirm the absence of a neurocognitive risk associated with statin treatment and suggest a potential favourable role of statins. Randomized clinical trials with an ad hoc design are needed to explore this potential neuroprotective effect.
Eur J Prev Cardiol, 2022 ↗“my LDL cholesterol was down to 100, a 50% improvement using 5mg and slightly better eating”
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Percentages come from first-hand user reports and are not clinical outcomes. Talk to a doctor before starting, stopping or combining anything. How we rate