National Cholesterol Education Program
This article was originally published in The Tan Sheet
Executive Summary
Second report of expert panel on "Detection, Evaluation and Treatment of High Blood Cholesterol in Adults" released June 15 recommends against use of OTC nicotinic acid (niacin) for cholesterol control. "It may be preferable to use prescription nicotinic acid, but the costs are greater than that for the nonprescription preparations," the Adult Treatment Panel II report states. "Although many patients have been successfully treated with the latter, there are concerns related to bioequivalence and lack of consistency in product quality." As for the possible role of vitamin supplements to treat elevated cholesterol, the panel stated: "Antioxidant vitamin supplements are being investigated for a variety of potential benefits, but insufficient data are available to recommend their use at this time".
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