inositol hexanicotinate
m...@mindspring.com
on 1 gram daily of niacin. She's in for a rough time with niacin
flush, I'm sure.
Lots of commercial sites promote inositol hexanicotinate as an
alternative to niacin for correcting cholesterol problems but I don't
find anything authoritative after searching for an hour or so. The
product sounds interesting but how much is marketing and how much is
supported by valid research. Can you point me to anything
authoritative supporting inositol hexanicotinate as a treatment for
elevated cholesterol? Medline gives me nothing. Or, is it just another
snake oil thing?
Thanks.
www.mpdprogram.com Health links for...
1.Dental Coverage for Individuals
2.Spray away body hair!
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Henry
> >on 1 gram daily of niacin. She's in for a rough time with niacin
> >flush, I'm sure.
>
> idiot! That goes to infinity, and then some, for the Doctor who made
> that recommendation.
>
> You start out with 50 - 100 mg and work up gradually.
>
> Also taking aspirin 30 minutes before the niacin helps a lot.
> --
> John Gohde
Excellent response.
Reference: http://www.riversidecardiology.com/archive/07151999.htm
Martin Banschbach Ph.D.
>on 1 gram daily of niacin.
Why can't she tolerate statins? If it's because of liver damage, niacin will
probably cause the same problem (it can damage the liver). If it's muscle pain
and cramps, niacin will not have this effect.
>Lots of commercial sites promote inositol hexanicotinate as an
>alternative to niacin for correcting cholesterol problems
Nicotinic acid (plant niacin) is an oxidation product of nicotine and just like
nicotine, plants produce it as an insecticide. Our liver will detoxify the
nicotinic acid and form niacinamide from it. If the dose of nicotinic acid is
too high for the liver to handle, nicotinic acid escapes the liver and
stimulates phosphodiesterase in blood vessels which leads to a drop in cyclic
AMP levels and the niacin flushing effect.
Inositol hexanicotinate is commonly called time release niacin. 5 nicotinic
acid molecules are bound to inositol. Liver will break this down to release
the nicotinic acid and then detoxify it. If the liver can't handle the whole
load, the inositol hexanicotinate goes into the systemic blood system but does
not cause a niacin flush. As the blood moves back through the liver, liver
cells continue to process the inositiol hexanicotinate until it is all
eventually gone.
When the liver is busy handling nicotinic acid, it's formation of VLDL is
decreased, this leads to a decrease in serum cholesterol levels. Niacin was
the preferred treatment for high blood pressure and high cholesterol before
drug companies came up with drugs to treat these two conditions. The only
problem with time release niacin is that it's more likely to cause liver damage
than regular niacin.
Just like the statins, a liver profile has to be run every 6 months to make
sure that there is no liver damage.
>Can you point me to anything
>authoritative supporting inositol hexanicotinate as a treatment for
>elevated cholesterol? Medline gives me nothing. Or, is it just another
>snake oil thing
Inositol hexanicotinate is fairly new so it's not too surprising that medline
did not have any citations. It's not snake oil but you are not going to find
any authoritative site promote it. The American Heart Association points out
that niacin was widely used and effective but that many newer and better drugs
are now available.
Marty B "You are what you eat"
Al Bardo
says...
>
> Lots of commercial sites promote inositol hexanicotinate as an
> alternative to niacin for correcting cholesterol problems but I don't
> find anything authoritative after searching for an hour or so. The
> product sounds interesting but how much is marketing and how much is
> supported by valid research. Can you point me to anything
> authoritative supporting inositol hexanicotinate as a treatment for
> elevated cholesterol? Medline gives me nothing. Or, is it just another
> snake oil thing?
This form of niacin doesn't lower cholesterol, although it is "flush-
free." For more information, check the book, "The new 8-week cholesterol
cure" by Robert Kowalski. He says that only the timed-release or plain
niacin forms are useful for this purpose.
--
Al Bardo
Jim
snip...
>
>
>This form of niacin doesn't lower cholesterol, although it is "flush-
>free." For more information, check the book, "The new 8-week cholesterol
>cure" by Robert Kowalski. He says that only the timed-release or plain
>niacin forms are useful for this purpose.
>
>
>--
>Al Bardo
Anyone care to comment on this claim by Kowalski? It's not too hard to
accept that niacinamide won't help lower cholesterol but niacin plus
inositol is still fundamentally niacin, right? (But, I speak not from
a knowledge of chemistry, just a little common sense - which is
frequently dangerous!) Anyone?
Jim
Ph.D.) wrote:
>>Friend of mine cannot tolerate statins so her dr. wants her to start
>>on 1 gram daily of niacin.
>
>Why can't she tolerate statins? If it's because of liver damage, niacin will
>probably cause the same problem (it can damage the liver). If it's muscle pain
>and cramps, niacin will not have this effect.
Lots of muscle pain throughout her body after being on Lipitor(?) for
a few weeks. The doctor wants to be cautious (thank God) and has
already taken her off of the statin.
Thanks for the feed back.
Oh, and would it be a safe assumption that niacin plus inositol is
still niacin so other than the slower release it logically should
affect the body in the same way as niacin without inositol? Just your
opinion.
Jim
wrote:
>x-no-archive: yes
>
>Once upon a time, our fellow Jim
> rambled on about "Re: inositol hexanicotinate."
>Our champion being bored in sci.med.nutrition retorts, thusly ...
>
>>On Fri, 04 Jan 2002 09:51:44 GMT, Al Bardo <alb...@nospam.net> wrote:
>>snip...
>>>
>>>
>>>This form of niacin doesn't lower cholesterol, although it is "flush-
>>>free." For more information, check the book, "The new 8-week cholesterol
>>>cure" by Robert Kowalski. He says that only the timed-release or plain
>>>niacin forms are useful for this purpose.
>>>
>>>
>>>--
>>>Al Bardo
>>Thanks, Al.
>>Anyone care to comment on this claim by Kowalski? It's not too hard to
>>accept that niacinamide won't help lower cholesterol but niacin plus
>>inositol is still fundamentally niacin, right? (But, I speak not from
>>a knowledge of chemistry, just a little common sense - which is
>>frequently dangerous!) Anyone?
>
>This ng happens to have an advocate of Flush Free Niacin, who
>apparently is on vacation.
>
>I find that the Flush Free Niacin does *not* work quite as well as the
>real thing, ie, IR niacin.
Thanks for the response, John. I appreciate it.
What do you base your evaluation on? (flush free does not work quite
as well...) Personal experience, people you've recommended it to,
etc.? Just curious. I'm toying with the idea of discussing with my own
doctor the possibility of dropping Lipitor for flush-free n even
though I'm not currently having any problem with it. Seems like it
might be a little better for my blood profile. Not sold on the idea -
just wondering.
>By the way, MartyB gave the impression that 'Flush Free Niacin'
>equated to time released niacin. They don't. Taking timed release
>niacin purchased from a vitamin store will destroy your liver quicker
>than any statin ever would.
>
>MartyB was probably thinking of a prescription timed release form of
>niacin that is reported to be safe. Most timed released versions of
>niacin are extremely toxic to your liver.
>
>In a former life, MartyB was extremely anti-niacin. I am surprised
>that he did not lose it, once again, in his recent posts.
>--
>John Gohde,
> Achieving good health is an Art, NOT a Science!
>
>The www.NaturalHealthPerspective.com website is a cross-browser,
>cross-platform friendly site.
Jim
the door to misunderstanding, does this other abstract contradict the
one you quoted? (Still, it would only be one "pro" and one "con".)
"If prolonged reduction in free fatty acid concentration is desired in
the therapy of hyperlipidemias, the inositol and xantinol esters of
nicotinic acid appear to be superior to the other preparations."
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=499296&dopt=Abstract
On Fri, 04 Jan 2002 23:12:58 GMT, John 'the Man' <De...@JustSayNo.com>
wrote:
>x-no-archive: yes
>
>Once upon a time, our fellow Jim
> rambled on about "Re: inositol hexanicotinate."
>Our champion being bored in sci.med.nutrition retorts, thusly ...
>
>>>I find that the Flush Free Niacin does *not* work quite as well as the
>>>real thing, ie, IR niacin.
>
>>Thanks for the response, John. I appreciate it.
>>What do you base your evaluation on? (flush free does not work quite
>>as well...) Personal experience, people you've recommended it to,
>>etc.? Just curious. I'm toying with the idea of discussing with my own
>>doctor the possibility of dropping Lipitor for flush-free n even
>>though I'm not currently having any problem with it. Seems like it
>>might be a little better for my blood profile. Not sold on the idea -
>>just wondering.
>
>This is your lucky day. I have been asked that question before. This
>time, I found a citation to support my position, on my first try in
>medline. :-)
>
>"MIEN [inositol-hexanicotinate], on the other hand, had only a slight
>effect on total blood lipids, and appeared to be ineffective or
>negative with respect to the other lipid parameters."
>
>Ziliotto GR, Lamberti G, Wagner A
>[Comparative studies of the response of normolipemic and dyslipemic
>aged subjects to 2 forms of delayed-action nicotinic acid polyesters.
>Pentaerythrotol tetranicotinate and inositol hexanicotinate. Results
>of a controlled cross-over trial]
>http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=PubMed&list_uids=345998&dopt=Abstract
>Arch Sci Med (Torino). 1977 Oct-Dec;134(4):359-94. Italian.
>PMID: 345998
Jim
wrote:
>x-no-archive: yes
>
>Once upon a time, our fellow Jim
> rambled on about "Re: inositol hexanicotinate."
>Our champion being bored in sci.med.nutrition retorts, thusly ...
>
>>John, granted that some of the terminology is "greek" to me and opens
>>the door to misunderstanding, does this other abstract contradict the
>>one you quoted? (Still, it would only be one "pro" and one "con".)
>>
>>"If prolonged reduction in free fatty acid concentration is desired in
>>the therapy of hyperlipidemias, the inositol and xantinol esters of
>>nicotinic acid appear to be superior to the other preparations."
>
>Perhaps, if you where to state the complete question up front?
>
>As far as I am concerned, you asked a SPECIFIC question and I answered
>THAT question.
>--
Sorry, guess it got lost along the way? Here was the context and
question:
"Friend of mine cannot tolerate statins so her dr. wants her to start
on 1 gram daily of niacin. She's in for a rough time with niacin
flush, I'm sure.
Lots of commercial sites promote inositol hexanicotinate as an
alternative to niacin for correcting cholesterol problems but I don't
find anything authoritative after searching for an hour or so. The
product sounds interesting but how much is marketing and how much is
supported by valid research. Can you point me to anything
authoritative supporting inositol hexanicotinate as a treatment for
elevated cholesterol? Medline gives me nothing. Or, is it just another
snake oil thing?"
So, is inositol hex just as effective as straight niacin in reducing
cholesterol is the question. You found one abstract saying that it is
not while I'm asking you, quite humbly, sir, does the abstract I found
contradict yours? Nothing personal in this. Not being expert on
medical terminology it is quite possible that I'm comparing apples to
oranges.
Thanks.
Martin Banschbach PhD
> supplements and were extremely anti-niacin.
>
> Have you mellowed on niacin?
> --
> John Gohde,
> Achieving good health is an Art, NOT a Science!
I was a paid consultant for a supplement company the last time that I
was here. Now I'm not. I was offered a percentage of profits but I
insisted on just being paid for the work that I did.
The antioxidant supplement that I helped design is still something
that I will point people to who want a really good antioxidant supplement.
I just gave a CME program on osteoporosis and eventhough I designed
the bone and joint support supplement that this company that I used to
work for sells, I pointed the primary care physicians to other companies
for supplements to help with osteoporosis.
My view of nicotinic acid has not really changed. It is effective but if it
is used,
liver function has to be monitored. People using self administration are
not
likely to get a liver profile every 6 months.
I had a disagreement with the company that I used to consult for over
the natural estrogens. Many women want to use natural estrogens for
menopause symptoms and osteoporosis rather than prescription estrogens.
Soy genistein and alfalfa ipriflavone are both available as supplements.
I convinced the company that I used to work for not to use genistein and
shortly after that my relationship ended (producers of genistein said that I
was
wrong about it's proestrogen effect on uterine and breast tissue).
The supplement company that I used to work for is now using ipriflavone
in it's bone and joint support supplement. Ipriflavone has no action on
breast or uterine tissue (in lab animals it actually protects against
cancer development in these tissues). It is a pro-estrogen in bone.
The problem is that it has a 15% incidence of side-effects with a
suppression in lymphocytes being a very serious side-effect. It is
in Phase III clinical trials in the U.S. and in this study, a complete
white cell count and differential has to be done on every patient
in the study every 6 months. If the lowering of white blood cells
is not detected and the drug stopped, the white blood cell level
can stay lower than it should be for over 2 years. The supplement
companies selling ipriflavone do not warn their customers about this
very serious side-effect of a natural estrogen.
As sales (profit) become more important, prudence seems to disappear.
I thought that safe and effective was the major concern of the company that
I used to work for but over time, profit (sales) sneaked in.
The first time that I was in Sci. Med. Nutrition I learned that my book
knowledge was not as good as I thought it was. That interaction with
sci. med. nutrition posters over 10 years ago lead to my being hired as a
consultant for a
supplement company. After a few years of absence I came back to increase
my knowledge base but felt a little uneasy because I was on a supplement
company pay role. I dropped out to try to write and publish a book on
cancer
and am back in again because the book is dead (no interest from publishers)
and I missed the interaction with some really neat people and finding out
new things in the area of human nutrition.
--
Marty B. "You are what you eat."
Baron Blackfang
"Martin Banschbach Ph.D." <mbans...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:20020103192530...@mb-fi.aol.com...
She gets her lipid profile and liver enzymes checked every 6 months. She
lowered her cholesterol from 290 mg/dl to 200 mg/dl in 6 months, and
achieved normal levels of LDL and HDL and an acceptable HDL/LDL ratio. She
hasn't experienced any side effects, so far.
Here's her regimen: 1000 mg Solray Flush-Free Niacin caps per day, 3-1200
mg Lecithin caps, and a low fat diet of 200 mg maximum cholesterol intake
per day, along with exercise and a standard intake of multi-vitamins and
minerals.
Flush-Free Niacin should be much safer than NiaSpan (the prescription
timed-release form), as the inositol should release the niacin slower than a
stearate-bound form. Plus, the liver is being allowed to dictate the niacin
release-rate using Flush-Free Niacin rather than the digestive tract for the
NiaSpan.
As for pure niacin, the flushing effect of high-dose niacin plus other side
effects makes this nutrient difficult to take and it has fallen out of
favour.
While niacin can cause liver problems, I believe that future studies will
show that the Flush-Free form will affect the liver much less than Lipitor
or Zocar, which already have a 10-20% rate of liver inflammation.
Our MD physician has prescriped the Flush-Free Niacin to other patients and
seems to have luck with it, although not every patient responds to it. Same
with the statins, they don't work for everybody, either.
My advice is that if you have a high cholesterol, give the Flush-Free Niacin
a 6-month trial before you consider the statins. If the niacin works, you
should have good luck with it with minimal side effects.
I'm hoping to see more clinical trials in the future about Flush-Free niacin
and cholesterol. Please post any Medline studies that you find and I will
do the same.
Martin Banschbach PhD
> show that the Flush-Free form will affect the liver much less than Lipitor
> or Zocar, which already have a 10-20% rate of liver inflammation.
For the statins, the side-effect rate where the drug has to be stopped
because of liver damage is around 2%. Total side-effects, and this includes
muscle pain and cramps is closer to 20%.
Time release niacin may indeed be safer than the statins in terms of liver
damage but I have never been able to find the data. Your wife is doing the
right thing (getting a liver profile run while on time release niacin). She
is getting a very good cholesterol lowering effect without any side-effects.
It would be nice if a clinical study was done comparing prescription statins
to time release niacin but I doubt if one is going to be done any time soon.
If one is done, it would have to be funded by the Office of Alternative
Medicine and the demand on this low budget NIH Office is tremendous right
down. Just showing that St. John's Wart was safe and effective for
depression cost millions of dollars.
I did not want to give the impression that niacin should never be used to
lower cholesterol levels. If it is used, a liver profile should be done to
make sure that there is no liver damage.
--
Marty B. "You are what you eat."
"Baron Blackfang" <Wolf...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:8Zu_7.12668$Vz3.1...@newsread2.prod.itd.earthlink.net...
> Our MD physician has prescriped the Flush-Free Niacin to other patients
Martin Banschbach PhD
> rambled on about "inositol hexanicotinate."
> Our champion being bored in sci.med.nutrition > > retorts, thusly ...
>
> appearance ... after HIS THREAD is all but >dead. :-(
John, a thread is never dead until the fat lady signs.
gary
1200 mg per day for about three weeks saw a high cholesterol client go from
250 to 170 in less than a month. She was also on a multi that is rich in
Bs, and I had her on flax-seed oil and soy protein Jamba-style smoothies.
Lecithin is part of my regular list to advocate for several things,
including cholesterol.
-gary
<m...@mindspring.com> wrote in message
news:3c348d44...@news.mindspring.com...
Steve Harris
>Consider Lecithin with phosphatydlcholine for improving cholesterol. Three
>1200 mg per day for about three weeks saw a high cholesterol client go from
>250 to 170 in less than a month. She was also on a multi that is rich in
>Bs, and I had her on flax-seed oil and soy protein Jamba-style smoothies.
>Lecithin is part of my regular list to advocate for several things,
>including cholesterol.
>
>-gary
Lecithin has been looked at as a cholesterol lowering agent, and it's no
better than an equal weight the polyunsaturated fat which it contains. Which
raises two problems:
1) Lecithin is a lot more expensive than polyunsaturated oil (corn oil or
safflower), and
2) In the Wadsworth VA studies where polyunsaturated oil was deliberately
used to lower cholesterol, they had fewer heart attacks but more GI cancer,
and gained nothing in life span. This is consistant with animal studies.
Polyunsaturated fat loading is probably not the optimal dietary way of
lowering cholesterol.
SBH
--
I welcome email from any being clever enough to fix my address. It's open
book. A prize to the first spambot that passes my Turing test.
DanielleB
source, has lowered cholesterol by 100 points in 3 months in many cases.
"gary" <nos...@inter.net> wrote in message
news:m_4h8.12247$Or3.1...@typhoon.mn.ipsvc.net...
Baron Blackfang
news:25th8.12127$Hf7....@rwcrnsc51.ops.asp.att.net...
using 1000 mg per day of Flush-Free Niacin and 1200 mg per day of lecithin,
plus a low-cholesterol diet and exercise. There isn't a lot of literature
as the concept is still fairly new, but there are clinical trials going on.
My MD doc allows his patients to try Flush-Free niacin (inositol
hexnicinate) if they want as he has had good success with it. When you
consider the toxicity of the statins, it's worth trying niacin first.>
>
>
>