“Colin, my husband has been taking niacin for quite a while now. Our doctor suggested it. It’s cheap enough, but doesn’t seem to be doing very much. How long does it take for niacin to work? Or maybe the better question is, how much should he take?” – Doris

Doris, thanks for writing in. This is a really good question.

Niacin is becoming more and more ‘trendy’ (for lack of a better word) as an alternative to the cholesterol drugs.

And I’ve had a lot of clients and visitors at the site ask me about niacin … wondering why I don’t recommend it like their doctor does.

Obviously, price isn’t a problem here. Niacin is plenty cheap and affordable to practically everyone.

The problem is that you need fairly high doses of niacin before it has any effect on helping reduce cholesterol levels.

And almost any nutrient or vitamin … even super ‘healthy’ ones like Vitamin C … are known to create some problem if taken in too high a dosage.

That’s the ‘Cliff Notes’ answer.

For a more detailed response so you can properly evaluate the risks yourself, check out this article on niacin side effects.

– Colin

Cholesterol is a lot like any other health topic.

There are lots of varying opinions out there!

And it’s frustrating and confusing when you’re trying to figure out who REALLY knows what they’re talking about and which opinion/facts/study are the most unbiased and make the most sense.

I got an email today that I had to share with you that’s about this very topic.

It’s from Vic and this is the email he sent in…

Hello Colin,
I doubt that you will reply to this email privately because you obviously believe that it is good to try to lower one’s LDL level.  For the same reason I don’t believe you will admit publicly to having received this email and take on the following assertion publicly.  I recently read the book “The Great Cholesterol Con” which no doubt you know and it made a lot of sense to me.  I believe the author agrees with you about statins but what I’d like to hear from you about privately and publicly  is the assertion in that book that high levels of LDL in the over seventies have been shown actually to protect them and to lengthen life for this age group.  I look forward to your reply with great interest.
With kind regards
Vic Porter

Below is my response:

Hi Vic,

I have no problem addressing this topic.

There are all sorts of studies and “findings” that are made to look a certain way. Or are somehow biased in how they’re set-up and run.

Probably the most famous example I can give you is the study that shows that aspirin helps prevent heart attacks.

Yes, aspirin was in the study.

Yes, heart attacks went down.

And YES, magnesium was also a BIG part of that survey and most experts believe it was magnesium, not aspirin, that did all the “work”.

Frankly, I don’t know the ‘insider’ specifics of the study you’re referring to here. But I’d like to make you aware of 3 of my thoughts regarding this…

1. High LDL levels combined with high HDL levels would be preferred over low levels of each.

2. High levels of LDL with a low HDL is a recipe for serious artery damage.

3. Any cholesterol profile is preferred to using statin drugs.

On one hand, I think info like what’s in this book is misleading people into a false sense of security.

On the other hand, if it gets people away from those drugs … hip,hip, hooray.

Here’s the thing I want you to think about…

Think about the foods you eat that cause high LDL. I’m talking about the foods that REALLY cause high LDL, NOT the ones you’re being TOLD cause high LDL (Hint: I eat 2 eggs almost every day!)

Foods like processed and fried foods among others. Those things cause LDL to go up. Period. If anyone wants to dispute that … they’re WRONG.

Do you think you should keep eating those foods …. in your seventies or otherwise … to be as strong, energetic and heart-healthy as you want to be?

Or do you think avoiding unnatural “fake” foods in favor of all-natural foods (foods known to lower LDL) makes more sense?

– Colin

Any other thoughts or opinions out there?

Chime in with a comment below…

I’m not here today to tell you what to do … or not to do.

But I’ll share my opinion and a few facts concerning swine flu and specifically, the H1N1 vaccine.

• The last swine flu epidemic in the US – when 50 million people got the swine flu vaccine – more people died from the vaccine than the swine flu itself … and that’s not counting all those that developed permanent neurological damage.

• The Surgeon General admits that the H1N1 vaccine is very similar to seasonal influenza vaccine and can’t completely vouch for it’s safety because it’s only been tested for a few weeks.

• Despite the fact that many doctors are PLEADING for the information to be gathered and released, where are the stats informing us of the number of previously vaccinated patients who are still getting sick to the point of needing hospitalization?

There was a story on “60 Minutes” recently about a high school football player who is in intensive care at his local hospital with complications from H1N1.

While it was somewhat buried in the story, what you’ll find if you watch closely, is that Luke didn’t get REALLY sick until AFTER he visited his doctor and started taking some sort of medication.

Was this medication, Tamiflu?

While I haven’t seen anything concrete yet … at this point I’m calling it circumstantial evidence … it’s being reported by some doctors that there are many other cases where the complications ONLY took place after Tamiflu was administered to the patient.

Again, where are the stats showing us this critically important piece of the puzzle?

Many doctors and health experts strongly believe (as I do) that our immune systems are much stronger when we fight off diseases naturally … or get them and recover naturally.

Again, this isn’t any sort of concrete proof of that, but let me share something that’s interesting to say the least…

An expert from the 60 minutes segment acknowledged that many people born before 1950 or so seem to have special antibodies to the new H1N1 influenza and are naturally protected.

The first flu vaccine in the U.S. was available at almost this exact same time frame. (I think it was the mid 1940’s.)

Coincidence?

Maybe.

But there are many doctors and experts who think it’s not a coincidence at all, but a causal relationship … that our ability to fight off the flu bug has actually deteriorated since these vaccines became widespread, not improved as the CDC would want us to believe.

Again, I’m not here to tell you what to do, but I will share this story with you…

My two daughters and wife were all 3 sick at some time over the last 2-3 weeks. Both of my kids missed some school. My wife missed a whole week of work.

Was it swine flu?

I have no idea.

What I do know is that all 3 stayed home and recovered just fine with no complications.

Meanwhile, I have a little bit healthier diet and supplement regimen than the ladies in my house, and despite living in the same house… and being around them everyday, even when they were sick … I haven’t got so much as the sniffles during this flu season.

I’ll continue to feed my body natural immune-boosting nutrients through diet and supplements … and again this year … I think I’ll be just fine.

Questions or comments? Please type them in below…

The pharmaceutical giant AstraZeneca got it’s way recently as the FDA has approved the marketing and use of Crestor for kids with high cholesterol from ages 10 to 17.

Forbes was among the first to make the announcement.

Why Forbes?

Because this is a big deal to shareholders and investors, that’s why.

AstraZeneca just expanded their target market. Hooray!

Meanwhile, kids from ten to seventeen years old will get the “honor” of helping spike up profits by using an unneeded drug during a critical phase of growth and development.

Do you think extra care and caution will be given to children in this range to see that they are attempting proper lifestyle changes like improved diet and exercise first?

(Of course, we already know that the doctor recommended diet tips don’t work for adults, so why would they work for kids?)

Do you think doctors will closely examine the HDL to LDL ratio of these kids instead of just looking at the raw LDL number before scribbling on their prescription pad?

Again, we already know they typically don’t do that for adults. Sadly, I think we already know how doctors will respond.

The FDA has approved it, so “it must be safe“.

That’s like saying, “A politician said it, so it must be true.”

The FDA’s track record of “Ooops, we were wrong about the safety of that drug” is long, documented, and deadly.

I urge you to find the real causes of high cholesterol and natural remedies that actually work … if not for yourself … do it for your kids and grandkids. They’re counting on us to take care of them.

Questions or comments? Please type them in below…

I just saw a new article that lists 6 foods to lower cholesterol.

One of them is chocolate … dark chocolate to be exact.

First, let me admit 2 things.

1) I love helping people lower cholesterol.

If you have a job where you get to help people and really make a difference in people’s lives, you know what a good feeling it is.

2) I love chocolate.

Let me be very clear on this … I LOVE chocolate!

So it would be a “match made in heaven” for me to scream from the rooftops that eating more dark chocolate would solve a lot of your cholesterol problems.

But I just don’t think that’s a wise move.

To me, it’s heading down a slippery slope.

If you’re a client I’ve helped get fast results, you agree with me that one of the easiest ways to lower cholesterol (or for better health in general) is to make small-to-medium “upgrades” or improvements in your daily eating.

I say small-to-medium changes because that’s where you want to start.

You want to make changes you can STICK TO long-term.

It’s when we go from one extreme to another – i.e., make radical changes – that’s when we get frustrated and quit. (And feel like a failure for doing so.)

So if you don’t eat chocolate or don’t care for it (I’m told these people exist), then I don’t recommend going out and stocking up on dark chocolate.

I’ve never heard of anyone who added more dark chocolate … did nothing else … and saw good results.

I’m not saying that proves anything … I’m not saying dark chocolate doesn’t have some benefits.

I’m just making an observation.

So let’s say you are a chocoholic, then what?

Well, how ’bout this?

What if you cut back on your chocolate by 50%? (Maybe that means eating 1/2 a bar of chocolate instead of a whole one.)

Right there is one of those “improvements” I talked about.

Now, replace that 50% of “regular chocolate” with  high-quality dark chocolate from your local health food store.

BAM!

You just made another “improvement”.

“Crunch Cholesterol” includes my favorite “healthy chocolate” products that I enjoy, as well as all other kinds of improvements you can make that will have you lowering cholesterol faster than you can say “Chocolate is yummy.”

Okay, not literally that fast, but you get the point. 

- Colin

Earlier I talked about commercials that made me cringe. This week I saw a commercial that made me laugh. (I only cringed a tiny bit.)

I was planning on posting a link to the video on this page, but I can’t find a video of this commercial anywhere, even on YouTube. (Actually, I DID find it earlier in the week, but now it’s gone. Anyway…)

It was a new commercial for Honey Nut Cheerios. (At least I think it’s new. I had never seen this commercial before.)

Sad music is playing in the background as a guy is cleaning out junk food in his kitchen and hauling it out to the trash. (I distinctly remember a carton of donuts being one of the items that he so sadly and reluctantly tossed away.)

The narrator says something to the effect of: “Lowering your cholesterol is hard.”

Of course, the commercial goes on to STRONGLY imply that eating Honey Nut Cheerios does all but melt away cholesterol in your bloodstream and your heart is skipping around in your chest every time you eat a bowlful.

Yes, there are ingredients in Honey Nut Cheerios that have been shown to lower cholesterol.

But don’t be fooled into thinking that eating 2 or 3 bowls of this is doing your heart and arteries any great favors. It’s not.

Now granted, it’s nowhere near as bad as some of the other “nutrient-dense” kids cereals I talked about earlier. But still, it’s rather misleading.

If you’ve read “Crunch Cholesterol”, you know that Honey Nut Cheerios also contains ingredients (one in particular) that is proven and known to rise cholesterol and triglyceride levels like nothing else you can put in your mouth.

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again…

If you rely on the food producers and their marketing efforts for your ‘health education’ … well, you’re in for a sad surprise.

Please, PLEASE tell me you’re not getting sucked into the marketing tricks of the food companies these days…

Consumers Devour Nutrient Spiked Foods & Drinks

It’s sad to see what they’re doing and to see that it’s working so well means the trend is only going to continue to get worse.

My wife and kids and I were in the living room a few days ago, and the TV was on … and as we were talking I heard something along the lines of being healthy and lots of nutrients … and of course my ears perked up.

And I looked up on the screen to see the boxes of 4 sugary kids cereals including Lucky Charms and Cocoa Puffs.

I was quite frankly, appalled.

Apparently, I’m not the only one as this article from 2005 calls out General Mills.

Anyway, I didn’t mean to bring you down with all this stuff, but I sure wanted to make you aware of what a big scam this all is.

There’s no such thing as a healthy breakfast that includes Lucky Charms or Cocoa Puffs. (Sorry General Mills.)

But make no mistake, this isn’t just confined to cereals.

Last night I saw a commercial for Cherry 7UP Antioxidant.

Here’s what I found at their website today…

Cherry 7UP Antioxidant
THERE’S NEVER BEEN A MORE DELICIOUS WAY TO CHERRY PICK YOUR ANITOXIDANT.

In the mood for a healthy boost with great taste?

With Cherry 7UP Antioxidant you get 100% natural flavors and a splash of antioxidant to help you through your day!

Cherry 7UP Antioxidant is a delicious way to cherry pick your antioxidant!

Sigh.

I just know that thousands – maybe millions of Americans – will start drinking this believing that their are helping their immune system. (Hint: It’s not!)

I have a friend who was chowing down on one of those fruit gummy snacks a while back. I cracked a joke about his choice of foods and he responded with, “Hey, it’s got fruit juice in it!”

And he was serious. He actually thought that snack was one of his “healthy food choices”!

Are you ‘eating right’ based on reality? Or based on what the food producers want you to believe?

I feel sick to my stomach today over a story I heard recently.

You see, the American Academy of Pediatrics is actually suggesting that children as young as 2 years old (yes, twenty four months!) be tested for high cholesterol.

And get this…

They suggest cholesterol-lowering meds be considered for kids as young as 8.

Now you know why I feel sick to my stomach.

Nearly every single day I get an email from someone telling me of the terrible side-effects and discomfort they they (or a loved one) went through while on cholesterol drugs.

Many have sworn to their doctors that they’d never take another cholesterol drug even though their doctor keeps trying to “push” it on them.

(These same people are usually the ones that turn into my biggest fans once they get results after using my advice.)

But it breaks my heart to think that the medical community is now going to inflict statin drug usage on *children*.

These kids will be fighting an uphill battle from as young as 8 years old?!

When an 8 year old starts to get muscle soreness from these drugs, will the parents know it’s from the drugs because their doctor has adequately informed them of the risks?

Or will the parents think that Jimmy must have taken a tumble and that’s the cause for the soreness and pain?

I pray that this doesn’t actually happen … that doctors won’t start over-prescribing these worthless, deadly drugs to kids as well as adults.

I have a lot more to say (ie, rant) on this topic, but I’ll share that for another day.

- Colin

Ever watch a movie or read a book and it makes you want to be a better person?

For at least that moment in time, you feel better about the world and yourself and your outlook is just a tad brighter than it was a couple hours earlier.

If you like that feeling as much as I do, you gotta check out this video.

Some of you … not me, of course (ahem, cough) … might even need a tissue.

Enjoy!

My wife and I really enjoyed this video.

Let me know what you thought of it below…

A few weeks ago, I started getting emails asking about the latest news reports linking Vytorin with cancer. Today, I started going through some of the stuff on my desk to do a little research on it and then it struck me…

I didn’t care if Vytorin caused cancer or not.

Well, I better re-phrase that.

I DO care if thousands of unsuspecting good people starting developing cancer because they’re taking Vytorin. That bothers me and I DO care about that.

What I mean is this…

Whether or not Vytorin causes cancer – it’s not going to change my opinion of it.

You see, all the other side effects, risks, and long term consequences of using that drug are more than enough for me to not want to even touch it – let alone swallow it – or recommend it to anyone I care about.

Kidney damage, weakened liver, memory loss, on and on … that’s enough to stay away from any cholesterol-lowering drug.

The fact that it may increase cancer risk doesn’t really make me think it’s more dangerous than I did yesterday.

On the other hand, if I thought the reports were bogus, I wouldn’t have any new found respect for Vytorin either.

See where I’m coming from?

So that got me to thinking. There’s probably a lot of other people out there who don’t see it the same way. After all, I did get quite a few emails on this subject.

So here’s what I’m wondering…

How do you feel about Vytorin’s link to cancer?

Is it just another nail in the coffin keeping you away from cholesterol drugs? Or is “The Big C” finally the wake-up call or scare that gets your attention while the kidney, liver, and memory issues didn’t have the same impact for you?