Unanswered Niacin and arjuna for cardiovascular health

CroLifter

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Greetings,

I am on "supplements" and want to boost my cardioprotective supplement regiment.

I was just wondering how many of you use vitamin b3, niacin for cholesterol management?
My total cholesterol is in the middle of the normal range, however my ldl is near the top of the range and my hdl is near the bottom because of my "supplement" use.

I already eat lots of garlic (at least 2 cloves per day) and drink green tea. Thinking about adding niacin, starting at 500mg per day and increasing potentially to 1g.

Also, i am thinking of adding arjuna as it seems promising because of its direct effects on the heart itself, increasing left ventricular ejection fraction and lowering left ventricular mass. However what concerns me about it is that i read it can cause bradycardia, and my resting heart rate is already low, 55-60 bpm.

I am also taking the regulars, vitamin c, zinc, magnesium. I also use ashwagandha.

Any opinions? I looked into nattokinase too but it is not locally available and some reports of brain hemmorhage concern me.

i also take coq10, 30mg daily.
 
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slickwillie

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Over 10 years ago my cholesterol levels were starting to get out of range, and my doc asked me to consider getting on a statin drug. I said no thanks, and asked him for alternatives. He told me to take 500 mg of niacin at bedtime. I also take beta sitosterol. Cholesterol levels have been in the normal range ever since. Give it a try for a couple of months, and then get some lab work.
 
thebigt

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some have said ephedra[bronkaid]is good for cholesterol?
 

CroLifter

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some have said ephedra[bronkaid]is good for cholesterol?
Cant really use anything stimulative as i suffer from panic attacks. I am avoiding all stimulants, green tea is the only thing with any kind of stimulant in it that i take, but i drink it for other benefits.

@slickwillie i will be coming off the "supplements" in about a month so i guess the ratios are going to start improving by themselves. I am going to try niacin though.
I eat pretty low fat, hence the reason my total cholesterol is in the middle of the normal range.
 
cheftepesh1

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Plant sterols and red yeast rice work really well for my wife who has severe cholesterol issues. Cheap and easy to get.
 
The Express 42

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SNS Vaso 6 is great for cardiovascular health
 
GHopkins

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I have been using Niacin for about a year now and my numbers have improved. They were not bad to begin with but better now. I am using around 250-300 mg per day in the morning. I could not do it at night because the flushing effects keep me from sleeping. Be ready for what I call lobster mode when you start. Your skin will flush bright red like you got a really bad sun burn for about 45 minutes. This gets better with time. Do not go for the no flush niacin because it has no effect on LDL.
As far as nattokinase, take a look at sup called Ultra Test. It has a whopping high does of K2 which will clean out any calcification in your arteries. If you go this route, there is an increased clotting factor concern for a slight chance of a strokes. Include 500mg of white willow bark to counter this until your system gets cleaned up.
Keep in touch with how it all goes.
 

CroLifter

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And what do you guys think of terminalia arjuna? I mean the studies look great but what concerns me is that they are all from india.
I had my LVEF measured today at 54%, and while the doc says it is normal for an athlete's heart and thst my heart looks very good, i am not happy with that fraction. And when i asked him specifically about left ventricular size, he said its borderline, but normal for a man my size (197cm 108kg).
I mean, it may improve on its own as in a month i am coming off but still, arjuna seemed to decrease left ventricular mass and increased lvef in these studies.

 
GHopkins

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Since no one else has chimed in, I will share my opinion. I have never used or even heard of Terminalia Arjuna. I have searched on the internets and found it to be interesting. But I would not take it until the method of operation is known. This could be an anti-androgen. This would be nice if you are going to die and need to correct the heart issue, and don’t care about losing some muscle. But the whole point of the cycle is to gain. There are too many unknowns with substance. And your condition is border line.

My advice would be to finish your cycle, then hit the cardio hard starting with your PCT. Don’t forget the BCAA’s pre-workout to keep more muscle. Get evaluated again after the 2-3 months of cardio.
 
LeanEngineer

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My advice would be to finish your cycle, then hit the cardio hard starting with your PCT. Don’t forget the BCAA’s pre-workout to keep more muscle. Get evaluated again after the 2-3 months of cardio.
I haven't heard much on arjuna either so this would be my advice as well.
 
Brutefit

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And what do you guys think of terminalia arjuna? I mean the studies look great but what concerns me is that they are all from india.
I decided to add arjuna extract after hearing the guerilla chemist praise about it. I'm taking raw extract (non-standardized, I couldn't find any) from Himalaya. I honestly don't feel anything, maybe it is doing its job, I take it because its cheap and for some cardioprotection/health.
 

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