SpectraCell Laboratories Blog Vitamin B3 May Lower a Dangerous Type of Lipoprotein

In a large clinical study called AIM-HIGH (for Atherothrombosis Intervention in Metabolic Syndrome with Low HDL/High Triglycerides and Impact on Global Health Outcomes), researchers evaluated the impact of extended release niacin (vitamin B3) on blood lipids. In a previous review of patients in this AIM-HIGH trial, niacin showed no benefit to statin-treated patients when analyzed as a whole group. However, in a subsequent analysis, niacin appeared to benefit patients who had high triglycerides (over 200 mg/dL) and very low HDL (less than 32 mg/dL). In this analysis, the authors sought to find out the specific changes in lipoproteins that conferred the benefit seen in the subset of patients with high triglycerides and low HDL.