Cholesterol anyone?

Last year I had my cholesterol check last year with everything being normal. Had my cholesterol check last week and the results were a little surprizing. Over all my cholesterol was 140 which is good for a 54 year old male, but my HDL (the good stuff) was 20 points below acceptable limits. I assume this was due to the extend cycle of steriods and the letrozole I've been using.

This is the surprising part. My doctor perscribe a time-released Niasin tablet. The brand name is Niaspan and the type of nician used is the nicotinic acid form. This is the niacin that causes the skin to flush and your skin feels like you rolled around in a cactus patch. It is to be taken at bedtime. The dose is 500mg. There are higher doses to be perscribed.

Niacin is perscribed to improve the HDL profile.

"The mechanism by which niacin alters lipid profiles has not been well defined. It may involve several actions
including partial inhibition of release of free fatty acids from adipose tissue, and increased lipoprotein lipase
activity, which may increase the rate of chylomicron triglyceride removal from plasma. Niacin decreases the
rate of hepatic synthesis of VLDL and LDL, and does not appear to affect fecal excretion of fats, sterols, or
bile acids."

So the next time you plan your cycle, you may want to consider adding niacin to supplement list.

If you want to read more about it, go to:

http://www.niaspan.com

PEACE

:wave:

good info

i will have to check out the site

I've used nicotinic acid with some success. But I'm surprised that a doctor would prescribe a timed release version. Timed release versions are very hard on the liver.

Im only 25 and my cholesterol was 273 and i thought i was in good shape ya know. Im active and my body fat is low enoufh were i still have abs. I just lost 26 pounds cause im on a strict diet. It bruoght me down to 250 which is a good wieght for me. But I defenetly need a way to lower my cholesterol. I could use some help on this issue myself.

Thanks, Doodle!!!

-Randy

Some of the sites are talking quite a bit about the benefits of policosanol.
The results are supposed to be comparable to statin drugs without the side effects. Lipitor for example can cause liver damage and muscle wasting. Just what a bodybuilder wants.

I'm trying it now to see how effective it is.

My cholesterol levels have been between 250 to 327.

Just to let you know Walgreens carries several otc versions of time-release niacin. Just letting you know in case youre paying alot for scripts. Its with all the vitamins and stuff.

Just wanted to add to that, i second what dragonrider said, polycosanols are very effective at lowering ldl"bad" and raising hdl "good" cholesterol. I wouldnt mess with lipitor or any of those prescription drugs. Always be good to your heart, heart disease is the #1 killer in America.