Niacin Dr. Lynch Q&AUpdated 2 hours ago

Hi Amy -

Your husband seems to be doing everything right :). Cholesterol has been demonized over the last few decades.

We need cholesterol for making hormones and bile acids (healthy digestion).

Cholesterol on its own does not typically contribute to health issues. More so cholesterol combined with inflammation and long-term immune activation.

There can be many reasons for higher cholesterol levels, and often it is not dietary or lifestyle related.

For instance, the body makes it when it needs to repair something.

His LDL is high which in itself may not be meaningful. I suggest he gets this tested in more detail if possible to see how much of this is VLDL, or oxidized. And maybe also Lipoprotein A which is a cholesterol carrier protein.

Moving forward keep an eye on these levels. If they keep creeping up then you should look at why and work with a healthcare practitioner that can help you with that.

Niacin helps to decrease triglycerides and increase HDL.* These levels were normal for your husband according to the reference ranges.

Niacin can also help decrease LDL cholesterol, so in that regard, it may help. But I'm not sure if it's necessary.

Hope this helps :)
Elizma Lambert (ElizmaLambert.com)

Hi Andrea -

We actually have an article on this. Below is the link :):

https://www.seekinghealth.com/blogs/education/niacin-flush?srsltid=AfmBOoowC7UxqxGGX_9C3U_OfJcFHvK3QkgqM4MTFR7_Vy6q68rkxFL1

A niacin flush is harmless and typically occurs when you take more niacin than your body is used to taking.

If you experienced a more extreme reaction the last few times, it may be that your body does not need that amount of niacin. Maybe take it every 2 or 3 days instead. Space it out however much you have to.

You may also need to take it with more food, so rather with a meal than a snack.

Let us know how you go :)

Elizma Lambert (ElizmaLambert.com)

Hi Deborah -

Yes, I liked them, too. They just didn't sell well.

Yes, you may open the capsule and put on a bite of food.

Be mindful that you may flush from the niacin. You will flush less if you take it with a full meal and will flush more if you take it with just some water on an empty stomach.

Some people want the flushing - I do and so does my wife.

Others do not.

In health,
Dr. Lynch

Hi Sarah -

Yep - I remember that video.

My son has excessive eye blinking at times.

I believe it's associated with a few different neurotransmitters in excess.

Glutamate is one as you saw in the video.

The other one is dopamine.

Here is a paper discussing it:
"Experimental manipulation of the dopaminergic activity in healthy subjects revealed that frequency of spontaneous blink raises in parallel with the increase of dopaminergic activity (Jongkees and Colzato, 2016). Further support for this association has been found in studies of individuals with altered dopaminergic function, such as patients affected by Parkinson's Disease (PD) or schizophrenia."

The paper also shared this insight:
"Holland and Tarlow (1972), using digit span and a mental arithmetic task, showed that participants' blink rate was reduced when the difficulty of the task (and thus the extent of allocation of attentional resources) increased. Oh et al. (2012) found the same effect in a task in which participants were required to listen to a series of tones, with varying difficulties, and had to report their number.

Nevertheless, there is another factor which has been consistently associated with blink modulation, that is the time spent on performing a task. The time-on-task effect has been linked to diminished vigilance, greater distractibility and lower attention, a cluster of phenomena which is sometimes referred to as mental fatigue (Stern et al., 1984). This relation is extremely relevant due to its practical applications, and there is a growing body of evidence, coming from the field of applied psychology and ergonomics (Martin and Carvalho, 2015), supporting the idea that blink rate increase is an indicator of mental fatigue."

If one is experiencing mental fatigue, consider actually supporting healthy focus with Optimal Focus, Brain Nutrients or Dopamine Nutrients. Choose 1 or two of them and use only 1 capsule or 1/2 lozenge to start.

If one is experiencing moments of stressful situations, support healthy stress with Magnesium Plus (has B6 and magnesium in it) and I now use Lithium Orotate instead of niacin.

I've also noticed that my son's frequent eye blinking is associated when he eats too much cow dairy - or he takes Optimal Focus too often.

In health,
Dr. Lynch

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S016787601730524X

Hi Dee -

I would seriously consider Pre-Workout Nutrients.
https://www.seekinghealth.com/products/pre-workout-nutrients

Mix one serving in a liter of water. Sip over some time ideally away from food.

I would add 1/2 to 1 lozenge of Brain Nutrients upon rising in the morning.

I'd add in Fish Oil of some type as well - but we are sold out currently. Take a serving after dinner.

Check your homocysteine score. If it's your homocysteine is > 9 umol/L, then support a healthy homocysteine level with Homocysteine Nutrients - and take in the morning.

In health,
Dr. Lynch

Hi Liz -

If he takes the niacin with food, he won't notice that much.

If he takes it on an empty stomach or just a snack, niacin is more likely to flush.

A niacin flush is this:

• a natural, healthy response to niacin (in the form of nicotinic acid)
• starts as a feeling of tingling, warming sensation in the face, ears and then may extend to other areas of the body like the chest, hands
• some may feel hot
• heart rate may increase
• lasts anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour depending on the person
• flushing occurs less and less as one continues taking niacin over time
• increased dosages of niacin will be needed to contribute to flushing - typically doubling is required.

I recommend your husband use my new formulation called Pre-Workout Nutrients.

This supports healthy blood flow.

Take it 30 minutes before working out.

On days he is not working out, I'd consider taking 1 heaping scoop in his water bottle with filtered water and sip throughout the morning.

I'd also talk with his doctor to test his homocysteine levels. He wants his homocysteine to be around 7 umol/L to 9 umol/L

He may also want to use our Homocysteine Nutrients.

Exercise naturally increases homocysteine.

Nutrient deficiencies are associated with high homocysteine.

The Homocysteine Nutrients (take 1 in the morning) along with his breakfast - and Pre-Workout Nutrients (taken before exercise) will support healthy blood flow.

In health,
Dr. Lynch