A concise, evidence-based medical tool that saves you money
Question:
Does adding niacin (vitamin B3) to a cholesterol medication lower my risk of dying from a heart attack?
Answer:
No
MedHead Confidence Score: 8
Amount Saved: $50 medical research
Med-O-Meter
8
MedHead Message:
It turns out that studies done in the 1990’s and early 2000’s showed “conclusively” that niacin reduced heart attack and stroke more than a placebo. But in recent years, this has been overturned. Was the original research faulty? Or the most recent evidence? We can argue all day about this phenomenon called a medical reversal–something recommended in previous years by the medical community only to be overturned by more recent research.
It does appear that multiple well-known meta-analyses have been performed on tens of thousands of patients, and the verdict is that niacin does not offer more protection than just taking your regular cholesterol pill. And you don’t have to worry about the flush that came with niacin either.
