Niacin helps restore HDL levels in diabetics

HDL lowers heart risks because it clears low-density lipoprotein, or LDL cholesterol, away from arteries and back to the liver, where it is passed out of the body. Several recent studies also suggest HDL protects arteries by promoting cell healing and repair. But in people with diabetes, HDL may be less protective, researchers at the University Hospital Zurich and the Medical School of Hannover in Germany reported in the journal Circulation.

All of the type 2 diabetic subjects were taking statins to lower their bad cholesterol. Researchers found that the protective benefits on blood vessels were "substantially impaired" in HDL taken from the diabetic patients compared with that taken from healthy people. When they divided up the diabetics and gave half a placebo and treated half with extended-release niacin, after three months, patients who got the niacin had increased HDL levels, and markedly improved protective functions of HDL in laboratory testing as well as improved vascular function. Because it was a small study, the team said more research is needed.