NIACIN AND CKD AND FIBRE IN THE DIET.

[rebeccalloyd]

I don't know if any of you read scientific papers, but I've been researching niacin, [vit. B 3] and along with a bunch of other papers, here is one:- sciencedirect.com/science/a...

Conclusion

Low-dose niacin had a low frequency of adverse effects and also improved dyslipidemia, lowered serum phosphorus level, and increased GFR in patients with CKD. Further studies are needed to evaluate the long-term effects of low-dose niacin for renal progression of CKD.

My LDL cholesterol is too high and so is my blood pressure, and my doctor is sure to say to me stop eating all those fatty foods and dairy products. The problem with that is that I don't eat any of the food traditionally known to raise cholesterol. There is some kind of link between fibre or perhaps the lack of it and what happens to the body cholesterol, and following a very strict CKD eating plan, I don't have enough fibre, therefore I aim to get soluble fibre supplement and also a low dose, and I think that might mean 100mg/day, of niacin and that should lower my cholesterol. Pointless to go to my GP and expect her to be 'on the case' as it were. I will steer the conversation in the right direction, but if she doesn't prescribe niacin or fibre supplement, I'll get them myself.

[Bunkin]

Hi, I’m a firm believer you have to take matters into your own hands. Unless you have a holistic doctor who is willing to try different things, you’re just gonna get the same old thing from your doctor because all they do is follow protocol. I say good for you that you’re out there searching😀

[hankshardscapes]

If I'm not mistaken niacin is over the counter.

[rebeccalloyd in reply to hankshardscapes]

yes, it is... low dose could be 100mg/day, but a chemist would know that.

[Mysticlad]

Cholesterol does not always have to be from a "fatty" food source to be honest. High blood sugar or poor blood sugar control contributes greatly to high cholesterol numbers.

I have found that sunflower lecithin is great for cholesterol over the years as well. You may want to start slowly on the Niacin as mega dosing can be unsettling at first even if safe. Another suggestion would be activated charcoal after or before meals. There are some reports and studies online that suggest activated charcoal is great for removing toxins like BUN and creatinine before they get in the bloodstream and get to your kidneys.

Combine with a smart diet this could be what would be most effective. There is one man who even published his lab results before and after using activated charcoal. The improvements in BUN, Creatinine, and overall GFR are impressive but not a true medical study by any means. I think everything is worth a look and an attempt as the majority of medical doctors are not trained in dietary or alternative therapies. Nephrologists are also very over worked where I live so anything outside their knowledge or training is usually frowned upon.

[rebeccalloyd in reply to Mysticlad]

I just looked up cholesterol and sugar, it didn't tell me much, but since I don't eat sugar and never have done, or any artificial food products that have sugar in them, I am left still wondering how my cholesterol can have risen. But thanks for mentioning it because it means I can carry on researching other ways cholesterol can be raised. There'll have to be a genetic component to it as, I think that's a given.

[Marvin8]

The problem with all these alternative "therapies" is that almost all of them are based on anecdotal evidence. I'd google the hell out of niacin and activated charcoal before treating myself with them.

[rebeccalloyd]

Marvin, I am still looking at niacin online, but so far all looks well. Never heard of charcoal however and that would fit into the alternative therapies idea. But one way of looking at it all is to say that if the niacin, or charcoal, or sunflower lecithin, cannot harm us, then why not take it.

[rebeccalloyd]

... so I went to the GP and she immediately said that statins are much preferred over niacin, so she knew all about the niacin research. I agreed to go on a statin, so if my cholesterol is controlled as a result, I don't have to think about it. Also, I bought my own blood pressure monitor and when I used it at home, as opposed to shoving my arm into the one in the waiting room of the surgery, I came out with a neat 124 over 84 with a pulse around 88. I was very happy with that because on the two occasions I'd taken my blood pressure at the surgery it was way too high. The effect of being worried, alert, walking too fast to get there, reading my mother's will just before hand, .... Lol. Who can tell? But today, I feel as if I'm in control of things. When I told the doc how boring my CKD food plan was, she said that she had patients whose CKD was worse than mine and they hadn't changed their eating habits one bit. I larrfed!