Stroke is the third leading cause of death in the U.S. and the leading cause of functional impairments. High blood cholesterol can build-up cholesterol-filled plaque (atherosclerosis) in blood vessels and cause strokes. Previous studies suggest that niacin or vitamin B3 can increase HDL (“good”) cholesterol and reduce plaque in arteries. Now research reports that niacin may help restore neurological function after stroke. These results may have important implications for human brain research.
The study was presented at the International Stroke Conference in San Antonio, Texas. Researchers at the Henry Ford Neuroscience Institute administered niacin to laboratory rats with ischemic stroke. The researchers found that niacin helped restore neurological function in the brain. Niacin increased ‘good’ HDL cholesterol, which increased blood vessel and nerve cell growth in the brain. This resulted in significant improvement in neurological function.
“Niacin essentially re-wires the brain which has very exciting potential for use in humans,” says Michael Chopp, Ph.D., scientific director of the Henry Ford Neuroscience Institute, in a news release. “The results of this study may also open doors in other areas of neurological medicine, including brain injury.”
The researchers will be conducting clinical trials to investigate the effects of extended-release niacin on human stroke patients. “If this proves to also work well in our human trials, we’ll then have the benefit of a low-cost, easily-tolerable treatment for one of the most neurologically devastating conditions,” says Dr. Chopp.
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Supplementing with natural nutrients can help promote cholesterol health.
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