Niacin News and Research

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Niacin (also known as vitamin B3, nicotinic acid and vitamin PP) is an organic compound with the formula C5H4NCO2H and, depending on the definition used, one of the between forty to eighty essential human nutrients.

Protein supplements do not improve athletes' performance

Protein supplements don't improve performance or recovery time and, according to a recent study, such supplements are inefficient for most athletes. "They are often poorly used or unnecessary by both high-level athletes and amateurs," says Martin Fr-chette, a researcher and graduate of the Universit- de Montr-al Department of Nutrition.

20 Jan 2010

Besides LDL, Lp(a) can also increase risk for heart disease

LDL isn't the only "bad boy" when it comes to cholesterol. According to a new study, a lipoprotein in the bloodstream called Lp(a) — pronounced "LP little A" — can be labeled "bad cholesterol."

20 Jan 2010

Nutrient-rich foods for weight loss

For the majority of Americans who are unhappy with their weight at any given moment, the New Year brings mixed emotions: the renewed resolution to shed pounds and the challenge of learning how to eat right to reach those goals.

29 Dec 2009

Merck discontinues MK-1903 niacin receptor agonist development program with Arena Pharmaceuticals

Arena Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today Merck and Co., Inc.'s decision (through an affiliate) to discontinue development of MK-1903, an investigational niacin receptor agonist to treat atherosclerosis being developed under its research collaboration with Arena. Merck also informed Arena that the company will not continue the collaboration.

24 Dec 2009

High prevalence of type 2 diabetes may be linked to excess niacin intake

Facing the increasing prevalence of type 2 diabetes worldwide in the past few decades, one may ask what is wrong with humans. Geneticists tell us that the human genome has not changed markedly in such a short time.

23 Dec 2009

Niacin may not be beneficial for type 2 diabetic patients

High-density lipoprotein (HDL), known as "good" cholesterol, isn't as protective for people with type 2 diabetes, according to research reported in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.

22 Dec 2009

Jubilant Organosys announces new facility for Niacinamide and 3-Cyanopyridine

Jubilant Organosys Limited, an integrated pharmaceutical industry player and the largest Custom Research and Manufacturing Services Company in India, announced today that it is setting up Niacinamide and 3-Cyanopyridine plant of 10,000 TPA each, expected to be ready by end of 2010.

18 Dec 2009

Abbott submits SIMCOR sNDA for two new dosage strengths

Abbott has submitted a supplemental new drug application (sNDA) to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for two new dosage strengths of SIMCOR®, a cholesterol medication. SIMCOR is a fixed-dose combination of niacin extended-release and simvastatin.

10 Dec 2009

General Mills reduces sugar and increases key nutrients in children's ready-to-eat cereals

General Mills announced today a public commitment to reduce sugar in cereals advertised to children to single-digit grams of sugar per serving. The initiative is in place and progress has been made, the company said, “with further reductions to continue until single-digit levels are reached on all cereals advertised to children.”

9 Dec 2009

70% of 350 US physicians will increase the use niacin for patients, says report

Sermo (http://www.sermo.com), the world's largest online physician's community, today announced the results of a new report indicating that 70% of 350 US physician respondents would increase their use of niacin based on results from the ARBITER 6-HALTS trial.

2 Dec 2009

Review of study presented at American Heart Association Scientific Sessions

Adding the cholesterol drug niacin to a statin improved HDL ("good") cholesterol levels and significantly reduced carotid arterial plaque buildup measured with ultrasound within 8 months, with further improvement seen at the end of the study (14 months).

21 Nov 2009

Dual niacin-statin therapy improves blood cholesterol levels but does not diminish plaque buildup

The routine prescription of extended-release niacin, a B vitamin (1,500 milligrams daily), in combination with traditional cholesterol-lowering therapy offers no extra benefit in correcting arterial narrowing and diminishing plaque buildup in seniors who already have coronary artery disease, a new vascular imaging study from Johns Hopkins experts shows.

19 Nov 2009

Upsher-Smith Laboratories publishes results of SLIM Study

Results of the SLIM Study ("Slo-Niacin® and Atorvastatin Treatment of Lipoproteins and Inflammatory Markers in Combined Hyperlipidemia") were recently published in the Journal of Clinical Lipidology.

17 Nov 2009

Statin therapy should still be used first to reach blood cholesterol levels before considering niacin

Heart experts at Johns Hopkins are calling premature the early halt of a study by researchers at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and Washington Hospital Center on the benefits of combining extended-release niacin, a B vitamin, with cholesterol-lowering statin medications to prevent blood vessel narrowing. Cardiovascular atherosclerosis, as it is also known, is believed responsible for one in three deaths in the United States each year.

17 Nov 2009

Effect of niacin or ezetimibe added to chronic statin therapy on carotid intima media thickness: Study

In combination with statins, adding a medication that raises high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol was more effective in reversing artery wall plaque buildup and in reducing heart disease risk than adding a drug that lowers low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, researchers reported today at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2009.

16 Nov 2009

Publix Supermarkets to sell HeartSavior and LipidShield Plus

New Health Corp. is proud to announce that HeartSavior(TM) and LipidShield® Plus are now available at Publix Supermarkets.

29 Oct 2009

Upsher-Smith Laboratories publishes data on Slo-Niacin and Lipitor combination study

28 Oct 2009

Lactose intolerance rates may be overestimated by wide margins

Prevalence of lactose intolerance may be far lower than previously estimated, according to a study in the latest issue of Nutrition Today.(1) The study, which uses data from a national sample of three ethnic groups, reveals that the overall prevalence rate of self-reported lactose intolerance is 12 percent - with 7.72 percent of European Americans, 10.05 percent of Hispanic Americans and 19.5 percent of African Americans who consider themselves lactose intolerant.

21 Oct 2009

Acurox's New Drug Application discussed with the FDA

Acura Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and King Pharmaceuticals, Inc. announced today that they met with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration ("FDA") on September 2, 2009 to discuss the FDA’s June 30, 2009 Complete Response Letter regarding the New Drug Application for Acurox (oxycodone HCl and niacin) Tablets CII (NDA).

4 Sep 2009

Colon cancer shuts down receptor that could shut it down

Though a high-fiber diet has long been considered good for you and beneficial in staving off colon cancer, Medical College of Georgia researchers have discovered a reason why: roughage activates a receptor with cancer-killing potential.

13 Apr 2009