Niacin benefits not seen in halted heart attack risk study

Niacin is already prescribed by many physicians to protect the heart. This kind of vitamin B increases good cholesterol which can in turn reduce the risk of heart attacks or stroke.

But a new study by the National Institutes of Health has been halted after researchers found out that niacin failed to lessen the chance of having cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events.

Good cholesterol, otherwise called HDL (high-density lipoproteins), aid in making the arteries plaque-free by transporting some fats to the liver. If one has too little HDL, the risk of having a heart attack is increased.

This risk is heightened by the more known culprit of clogged arteries -- bad cholesterol or LDL (low-density lipoproteins). Bad cholesterol can be reduced by statins such as Lipitor and Zocor.

Health experts want to augment those drugs that reduce LDL concentrations with niacin supplementation to solve the problem of artery clogs in two ways.

But it appears that even though the drug called Niaspan, a high-dose form of niacin made by Abbott Laboratories, does boost HDL levels, it does not seem to reduce the risk of heart attacks after all.

The disappointing finding is "unexpected and a striking contrast to the results of previous trials," said study author Dr. Jeffrey Probstfield of the University of Washington.

More than 3,400 statin users participated in the study. In addition to using statins, they took niacin to bring up levels of good cholesterol. True enough, HLD levels increased, but this did not translate to a decline in strokes, heart attacks or the need for angioplasty.