Around the early-mid 1960s, my grandfather had a stroke. His Dr prescribed Niacin. He took it for years and when he stopped taking it, he had another stroke within days.
I found it encouraging to hear this Dr. duo saying a few sensible things for a change - except for the cholesterol/statin 'gold standard' plug. I also saw videos with them proclaiming that ketogenic and/or carnivore diets are dangerous fad diets. That ruined their credibility for me alright.
I've seen some of their early videos but never went back to them as it was clear to me that they were just conveying Big Pharma's message. No interest. None at all.
Contrary to the suggestion that niacin causes increased blood sugars, my experience in taking high dose flushing niacin for years has been completely to the contrary. Several months after starting my protocol I was amazed to realize all of my skin tags disappeared as well as other skin growths and dark moles. That is over 15 years ago. I will never stop taking it.
You should do a video on Dr. Baker. He is only an orthopedic surgeon. YES, we can learn beyond just university and residency. It's called a "practice" for a reason.
Gary Fettke is also known keto advocate. I figure orthopedic surgeons often have their work cut out from metabolic issues, especially diabetes, which would motivate to digging into it specifically.
@@johannas.l.brushane2518 yes, please don't take my comment negative towards Dr. Baker. I'm a fan of all colleagues who lift, train and try to help others while getting rich for your family. I just want Dr. Westman to play fair and pick on a carnivore orthopedic surgeon 😅
@@DrAJ_LatinAmericaDr, Westman seems pretty fair to me. He calls out questionable advice from many keto/carnivore influencers. He just did steak and butter gal. Look through his history.
From my understanding, the reasons the surgeons mention to avoid niacin are the same for statins. There is not much evidence that taking it reduces all-cause mortality. Like niacin, statins increase the risk of developing diabetes.
Not advocating for these particular ortho guys, but at least they are looking, listening and striving. That is a LOT more than you can say for the majority of internists, endocrinologists and others who get it catastrophically WRONG! You are one of the brave exceptions. Also, ortho’s deal with terrible chronic conditions every day. Many patients they must operate on are either morbidly obese with multiple comorbidities, or elderly and frail. So I say bravo to these guys who are Secretariat when many who should be miles ahead, are stuck at the gate.
My triglycerides were high. Double the recomended top range. I was taking a statin and a couple different drugs. No change. My diet was crap and I was an alcoholic. I had a dr from India that was open to alternative treatments. I started taking Nico a twice a day. The flush was sometimes uncomfortable. At me next test, my triglycerides were right in the middle between low and high. Dr recomended I stop statins. It stayed within normal range on only niacin. It worked for me. I eat keto now and all my tests were stellar last time.
The late Dr Abram Hoffer has many videos on Niacin. He said that he's had patients recover from schizophrenia because they actually had pellegra. Also the late Andrew Saul PhD has a book on B3.
Hi this is a comment to your no sugar challenge you need a place for us who are already sugar free to comment! and celebrate those who take the challenge!! Yes...
The lack of a reduction in "All Cause Mortality" when LDL was reduced with niacin.... could be because LDL doesn't cause atherosclerosis. Some Statins were pulled off the market.... that did better than all other Statins for reducing LDL.... but caused more heart attacks even while lowering LDL.
Since medical science has ceased to be scientific and has become a commercial product, we all need those few who are still healers and honor the Hippocratic oath.🤗❣️
If you have a bad diet such as highly processed food, or high sugar or use seed oils then no amount of supplements will do you any good. Fix your diet and you won't need any supplements. Cholesterol is in every cell of the body, is an antioxidant and helps repair artery walls. So it is very likely that most people are far too low in cholesterol levels and the 'guestimated' guidelines are set way too low.
I started taking time-release niacin around 25-30 years ago because I have a condition called hypo-lipidemia where I have very low LDL and HDL (one blood test I had this year showed an LDL of 14 mg/dL), and studies from way back said niacin could raise the HDL levels. I didn't realize it could also raise blood sugar. I have been on a carnivore diet since Christmas. Have lost 50lbs so far, and figure I have another 20-30 lbs to go. Although when I was thin before, I still had the lipidemia issues, but I wasn't eating low carb. I guess I have to think about whether to continue taking the niacin.
in the headline: "Improve Cholesterol..." But we don't know how high or how low the cholesterol values should be in a individual, so what is improvement?
@@kenswanston820 I used to be a carb addict. I had a FB memory come up which said: 3 course dinner tonight, entree bread and butter, main bread, butter and vegemite, dessert, bread, butter and honey. I must have bought a fresh loaf of bread that day. I've been low carb for 2y 9m now and haven't eaten regular flour bread in that time. I thought I would miss it, but I don't. I have two "breads" that I make that I use for my work lunches; one is what I call waffle bread (coconut flour, psyllium husk powder, egg, butter and baking powder) and the other is 90 sec microwave mug bread which is the same as above but has ground flax seed as well.
@@jobrown8146 Currently at 72 years of age, I had been on/off the low carb Keto diet program for a couple of years and managed to go from 6'4" at 245lbs down to 210 - 220lbs. After a blood test came back my Dr. tried to put me on a statin and I said NO...unless he authorized a Coronary Artery Calcium Scan, which he initial didn't. About three months later I got a call from a hospital with a time to come in for it. I was expecting a number from 0 - 100 which is pretty good...results came back with my number being just over 1000 (a walking heart attack waiting to happen!) and started taking my statin that day...later changed to another one after muscle aches. I (erroneously) blamed my on/off keto routine on my wife (30+ years Parkinson's) who cooks carbs but doesn't finish them so I 'clean-up' so as to 'waste not want not' for the starving kids in Africa...from my parents dinner table growing up! She has an unquenchable need for candies, cookies, and ice-cream of various varieties that I'm drawn to help her finish as well...all MY bad...occasionally non-existent...will power! My 'go to' food to watch football or hockey WAS...a bag of Ms Vickie's Salt and Malt Vinegar chips generously washed down with cold beer...ahhh! The hardest thing to give up by FAR! I'm now trying to stick to intermittent fasting 8/16 with a salad for supper (spinach, shredded carrot, diced (colored) bell pepper, celery sticks, sauerkraut, hemp hearts, tomato, sliced red onion, four or five olives and half an avocado...with a homemade dressing of vinegar, balsamic vinegar, dry mustard and olive oil...topped with two or three diced slices of ham or half a can of salmon). Hoping it will make up for my ice-cream and chocolate chip cookie indulgences...but knowing...it doesn't! 😞 Being addicted to the web and all the "easy instant solutions" that don't seem to work without spending money has led me to Dr. Westman, Dr. Sten Ekberg, Dr. Mark Hyman, Dr. William Li, Dr. Pradip Jamnadas and Dr. David Sinclair who all, more or less, suggest you are what you eat, if what you eat has been raised or grown properly...leading to the need for supplements!
FYI: the “ flushing” form of niacin is more efficient, but if you want to lower cholesterol, eating Oreo cookies in large amounts will , but why, cholesterol is present to heal , not harm!
THIS^^^ Cholesterol is used in healing. It does not matter if your LDL’s are high. They (statin pushers) want to see LDL’s as possible, even to zero! Thats deadly advice. You need all cholesterol. Yes, cholesterol heals. All cholesterol has a job to do. One of those jobs is healing damage caused by anything. So, the healthier you are, the higher your cholesterol will be. And it will continue to raise until it hits the set point by your genes. This in probably why/how statins, even Oreo cookies lower cholesterol. By causing damage the cholesterol get used. It get lower, and takes time to build up again. The more damage caused, the more healing required, the lower the cholesterol will be. Any resource will diminish if i gets used faster than it is made. This is the reason for that famous “J” shaped chart, showing increase incidence of death, with the lowering of cholesterol. With the lowest death rate with cholesterol between 300-700 ranges. Do not take a statin ever.
@@Technichian462I agree with this, and a great way of expressing this theory. I really wish we had a way to prove it. But as I think, we don’t have any true evidence on anything in nutrition so experiment on yourself, using what we do know about our bodies. Which is we don’t need carbs and most drugs are counterproductive for health. 👍
Statins caused me to get fatty liver disease. I stopped taking it and my LDL cholesterol increased but I don't have fatty liver disease anymore. Almost as if LDL cholesterol is actually protective for my organs.
I am post-diabetic and have lost 110 lbs as a ketovor- still need to lose 40 or so. I am well under 100 g of carbs for years - but I have not been able to lose weight for the past year. Unable to do much exercise because of spinal stenosis and a lung conditon.
Try intermittent fasting? Then 24 hour fasting - it does get easier! Knock those carbs down to 50g/day TOTAL not net! 110lbs, dang girl that's awesome!
You are gonna get all kinds of crazy advise. Just let me say you have done so so well. A total stranger is proud of you 😀 The more we lose the slower it goes. Low carb & a sustainable calorie deficit. You'll get there.
Dr westman is a practicing physician associated with Duke University. He's been doing this for 20 years and he keeps his patience under 20 g of carbohydrate. As much as you lose weight when you have hundred pounds to go then when you start honing it in.
Talking to 2 Docs will bring in other doctor specialists to discuss different healthcare practices. They are a great source of information presented in a nonpretencious manner.
I started taking B3 because I keep getting skin cancer and my dermatologist had a sign on her wall to take B3. Well I didn’t investigate like I should have and have been taking my statin and B3 . A big mistake. Well I stopped my B3 today. I want to get off my statin but I plan on waiting to my next checkup to talk to the doctor. I have lost 10lbs in the last month and cut carbohydrates and sugar which he suggested.
I took niacin for a while but stopped because the dosage required to even possibly make a difference caused a CRAZY amount of uncomfortable flushing. My face turned beet red and felt like it was on fire. For me it wasn't worth it for a benefit that is not necessarily proven.
@@sylviawolff433 Ditto -with intense, unbearable itching head to toe for 7 solid hours. I would have ripped my skin off for relief! And that was a Rx 'non-flush' formula! NEVER AGAIN!!!
@@kenswanston820 I've had OTC types and Rx prescription types of 'no-flush' that gave me the same bad reactions. Niacin supplementation is not for everybody!
14:26 - As somebody who's very familiar with sunburn and prescribed high-dose niacin for cholesterol, I can describe the "flush" as sunburn without the pain...
I’ve been keto since 2020. Don’t care about LDL, obviously it’s the TG:HDL ratio that matters, so no issue there for me... However, I do supplement with Niacin (and Thiamine) for a completely different reason: Raynaud’s (in my fingers if they get too cold and/or damp in the wintertime). Dr. Westman, any thoughts on the efficacy of supplemental Niacin/Thiamine for this reason? I *think* it’s helping, but I’m not sure…
Just a suggestion. Consider going full carnivore for 90 days. (during cold weather). We did this in January and my husband was able to go the rest of winter without any Raynaud's episodes.
I have a basic belief that cholesterol is there to address some issue. If my body makes high cholesterol then it needs it? Why would you want to lower it artificially. If you address whatever is going on that caused your body to produce so much cholesterol, then it should lower on its own, in a healthy way.
Happy side effects of Niacin with the “burn” are hair growth which I have experienced myself. Been taking it for about 5 years and experienced a huge difference in hair growth, thickness and filling in above temples. Also my husband who is an orthopedic surgeon, began taking it post-radiation and chemo for radiation damage to the mucosal lining on his jaws and in his throat. He has seen tissue improvement where normally it would get gradually worse over time. He had his treatment at MD Anderson and his radiation oncologist is on board and amazed.
Well, first off, lowering cholesterol isn't really a good thing. So the premise for the question is faulty. Secondly: if you want to get rid of plaque and thus solve the actual problem, there's several things that help, the best probably being nattokinase, supported by vitamin D and magnesium. Fasting also helps, and if memory serves me, so does curcumin(turmeric).
@@KJ-lb4tj Why is lowering cholesterol a good thing then? Many people already have low cholesterol so why should anyone advise them to lower it even more? That could be very dangerous. OK has every right to express his/her opinion.
@@KJ-lb4tj We need cholesterol, for a great many bodily functions. It's not just the repair media for your arteries, it's a vital building block for hormones such as testosterone and estrogen, for parts of the immune system, and for the protective myelin sheaths for your nerves, your brain is 70% cholesterol. If you inhibit the body's ability to create cholesterol(which is what statins do) all these things are inhibited, the brain especially suffers, dementia follows.
Wow! Bought a bunch of chobani yogurt-- zero sugar. pretty good. Today's was really good. So good I decided to double-check the label. Sure enough: 15 grams carbs....regular one!!😢😢
I have noticed I am developing signs of Xantheloma (yellow growths) around my eyes and eyelids - too much cholestoral?. I am 90% carnivore and doing well on it (lost 5 stone in 18 months) BUT I had flu at the beginning of the year which went on my chest. Then I was lucky enough to get covid and the extended bed rest resulted in me having a nasty sciatica episode which I'm still recovering from. Basically I wasn't getting outside and getting a good dose of natural vitamin D and my appetite was low so I have tried a low dose of niacin to address the yellow eyes. It seems to be having some effect but I don't see it as a long term. I'm hoping a return to regular weight bearing and other informal exercise will also help.
Fascinating they don't see reduced events or mortality despite lowering cholesterol. So it must be something the Niacin does. Could it be the LDL is not that big if a risk factor that lowering it a bit shows up in the mortality?? Just a thought here. 😉
I am a doctor and I do not agree with the fact that a doctor trained mainly in a certain specialty is automatically knowledgeable in that field, more often than less he/she is just applying official protocols...therefore also an orthopedic surgeon can know better about nutrition than the majority of internal medicine doctors(e.g. Dr Shawn Baker MD)
You should watch all the Dr. Berry videos on cholesterol and statins to help make that decision. Basically, it has been shown that if you take a statin daily for 30 years you will extend your life for single digit DAYS, NOT YEARS. Not really worth all the side effects.
Their job description is not what I would focus on. Knowledge and insight does not need to come from a degree. In fact some degrees including medicine do not give knowledge of dietary impacts
spouse had trigs of 187 in February. For some reason I had him take 100-500mg niacinamide. Two weeks ago his trigs were 139 and that's after he stopped taking his metformin. N of 1 but nonetheless niacinamide is making something happen that is good
Ironically, whilst W is here saying to listen to the experts in a field, Jason Fung is telling Dr. Boz that endocrinologists are the most resistant to believing diabetes can be reversed via diet....
maria wrote, _"saying to listen to the experts in a field"_ This is something that bothers me, too. Generally speaking, 'expertise' is associated with education, credentials, and even licensing. But education is based (ideally, anyway) on studies. And as Dr. W pointed out, some studies are more readily funded than others, meaning medication studies rather than lifestyle studies. Sometimes, a theory is sensible but the implementation of that theory is not. This, I believe, is the case with peer review. Peer review itself is a great framework. The problem is that not everything that can, or ought to be, peer reviewed... is (again, because some studies are more readily funded than others). So, while I'm careful not to throw out the baby with the bath water, I'm also continually aware that whatever science exists within the bounds of peer review... well, it's incomplete. And what this means is that 'experts' are really only experts in a field of incomplete information. I do consult with experts to consider what they say, and why they say it. But, most of the time, I rely on my own judgment about things. Obviously not critical care instances, but for general health and well-being, and often for the situations where food vs supplements vs medicine are concerned.
@@RichardHarlos to me, the juncture between science & religion conflates pretty quickly, tho W makes them sound black & white & finite entities. We, & that includes docs & the scientific community, have to take most info on faith. No one has the time or wherewithal to figure everything thing out for ourselves. Plus, we're locked into a certain set of foundational generational beliefs & state of knowledge. As Attia says, nothing is really provable in biology.
I am Ketovore and on many days carnivore. So I for sure don't need Niacin. I liked your video a lot, and I agree with you that people should give advice in their special field and not in someone else's. In German we say "Shoemaker, stick to your lasts". These two doctors make education sound like fun/funny but the information appears insufficient and poorly researched.
@@KJ-lb4tj True, but we also have to be rather wary of claims they make for these supplements. They're trying to make a profit off of the consumer. _Buyer beware_ is still in operation, imho.
Haha, Dr westman must absolutely hate these guys. Never heard him so condescending before. I agree with most of his points, but recall NO MD gets any training at all in nutrition in school. They all have to get it on their own afterwards, assuming they are dedicated enough to their overall craft to do so.
He’s a medical doctor. Look him up! I think you are mistaking him for Dr Ekberg. But Dr Ekberg also bases his advice on thorough research. I’d listen to either of them over most local GPs these days.
@@CLooLoo Who? Doctor Berg here on TH-cam? According to his website he's a chiropractor. TH-cam made him add the "DC" after his name because he was giving medical advice.
Sorry doc...I found this to be a waste of time. I'd rather listen to your informed experience in treating high cholesterol than talking about a couple surgeons who really have no business offering there typical "sickness industry" opinions.
Listen widely. BaD news. Peter Attia basically says type of diet doesn't matter. Total caloric intake does. Is he right? Of course. ((Taubes should also concede to protect his legacy. His work is deep enough for him to pivot before it's too late.) Blood sugar levels are another matter, but there's different paths to success there too. Staying in one lane is ok if your legacy stands on it, sure. But these guys have to go down w the ship. We don't & shouldn't. I listen to carnivores (❤Kelly Hogan) & vegans (chef AJ). I'm here as well. Not losing a pound anyway. I don't listen to fools in any vein; that's critical 2, ,& they're easy to vet. Best I've heard is Dr. Zach Knight on Huberman. State of the art says the science is nowhere --rudimentary at best on weight regulation. As if we couldn't tell... Best luck to all.
I find the best thing is to take all the information from all sources and start to do a n=1 experiment on oneself. I did. I found low carb / no carb worked best for me. I feel great and lost a ton of fat (not literally a ton of course 😉) and gained muscle mass. I am now in an athletic range where I never thought I would be again at my age. But again. Experience can vary.
Very interesting take, Maria! Some of the influencers do make it sound like the science is very settled. I've stalled with weight, too. But when I can keep to under 20 grams carbs per day, the weight comes off quickly. At least for me, it does!
Well - listening to those two babbling is just stressful and confusing. And the whole thing is still operating off the dogma of high cholesterol being bad for you, which has been proven to be misinformation.
Dr Westman please say something about colchicine? I'm learning that this once only for gout medicine has recently been approved for cardic purposes because of it's anti-inflamation properties. I've also heard from another TH-cam MD that colchicine is a plaque stabilizer.
Ive long since given up on those two. Superficial coverage, spouting outdated orthodox advice and no sense of curiosity. They also push plant-based. One of them (cant remember which) is vegan but it, somehow, it doesn't come up very often 🫤
Around the early-mid 1960s, my grandfather had a stroke. His Dr prescribed Niacin. He took it for years and when he stopped taking it, he had another stroke within days.
I found it encouraging to hear this Dr. duo saying a few sensible things for a change - except for the cholesterol/statin 'gold standard' plug. I also saw videos with them proclaiming that ketogenic and/or carnivore diets are dangerous fad diets. That ruined their credibility for me alright.
Would link the video where they’re
proclaiming ketogenic and or carnivore diets are dangerous fad diets? Thanks
Patients row must grow!
I've seen some of their early videos but never went back to them as it was clear to me that they were just conveying Big Pharma's message. No interest. None at all.
Contrary to the suggestion that niacin causes increased blood sugars, my experience in taking high dose flushing niacin for years has been completely to the contrary. Several months after starting my protocol I was amazed to realize all of my skin tags disappeared as well as other skin growths and dark moles. That is over 15 years ago. I will never stop taking it.
You should do a video on Dr. Baker. He is only an orthopedic surgeon. YES, we can learn beyond just university and residency. It's called a "practice" for a reason.
Gary Fettke is also known keto advocate. I figure orthopedic surgeons often have their work cut out from metabolic issues, especially diabetes, which would motivate to digging into it specifically.
@@johannas.l.brushane2518 yes, please don't take my comment negative towards Dr. Baker. I'm a fan of all colleagues who lift, train and try to help others while getting rich for your family. I just want Dr. Westman to play fair and pick on a carnivore orthopedic surgeon 😅
@@DrAJ_LatinAmerica that would be cool. Have you seen him talk with Dr. Berry?
@@macoediv yes are some live conferences. What does that have to do with Dr Baker? Dr. Berry is not an orthopedic surgeon.
@@DrAJ_LatinAmericaDr, Westman seems pretty fair to me. He calls out questionable advice from many keto/carnivore influencers. He just did steak and butter gal. Look through his history.
From my understanding, the reasons the surgeons mention to avoid niacin are the same for statins. There is not much evidence that taking it reduces all-cause mortality. Like niacin, statins increase the risk of developing diabetes.
What evidence do you have that niacin increases the risk of developing diabetes?
Not advocating for these particular ortho guys, but at least they are looking, listening and striving. That is a LOT more than you can say for the majority of internists, endocrinologists and others who get it catastrophically WRONG! You are one of the brave exceptions. Also, ortho’s deal with terrible chronic conditions every day. Many patients they must operate on are either morbidly obese with multiple comorbidities, or elderly and frail. So I say bravo to these guys who are Secretariat when many who should be miles ahead, are stuck at the gate.
Thank you, Dr Westman.
My triglycerides were high. Double the recomended top range. I was taking a statin and a couple different drugs. No change. My diet was crap and I was an alcoholic. I had a dr from India that was open to alternative treatments. I started taking Nico a twice a day. The flush was sometimes uncomfortable. At me next test, my triglycerides were right in the middle between low and high. Dr recomended I stop statins. It stayed within normal range on only niacin.
It worked for me.
I eat keto now and all my tests were stellar last time.
Congrats!
Did your issue with alcohol get resolved?
Stop drinking alcohol
@@kenswanston820 yes. 15 years sober now.
The late Dr Abram Hoffer has many videos on Niacin. He said that he's had patients recover from schizophrenia because they actually had pellegra.
Also the late Andrew Saul PhD has a book on B3.
Hi this is a comment to your no sugar challenge you need a place for us who are already sugar free to comment! and celebrate those who take the challenge!! Yes...
Subscribed for the challenge! Good initiative and am looking forward to lose the sugar addiction...😊
The lack of a reduction in "All Cause Mortality" when LDL was reduced with niacin.... could be because LDL doesn't cause atherosclerosis. Some Statins were pulled off the market.... that did better than all other Statins for reducing LDL.... but caused more heart attacks even while lowering LDL.
Spoke to an old physician and he told me that Niacin in very high doses can cause Central Serous Retinopathy which can severely impact eyesight.
😂
Since medical science has ceased to be scientific and has become a commercial product, we all need those few who are still healers and honor the Hippocratic oath.🤗❣️
If you have a bad diet such as highly processed food, or high sugar or use seed oils then no amount of supplements will do you any good. Fix your diet and you won't need any supplements. Cholesterol is in every cell of the body, is an antioxidant and helps repair artery walls. So it is very likely that most people are far too low in cholesterol levels and the 'guestimated' guidelines are set way too low.
Very true!
I started taking time-release niacin around 25-30 years ago because I have a condition called hypo-lipidemia where I have very low LDL and HDL (one blood test I had this year showed an LDL of 14 mg/dL), and studies from way back said niacin could raise the HDL levels. I didn't realize it could also raise blood sugar. I have been on a carnivore diet since Christmas. Have lost 50lbs so far, and figure I have another 20-30 lbs to go. Although when I was thin before, I still had the lipidemia issues, but I wasn't eating low carb. I guess I have to think about whether to continue taking the niacin.
in the headline: "Improve Cholesterol..."
But we don't know how high or how low the cholesterol values should be in a individual, so what is improvement?
You've got a good point there. Just like saying a "balanced diet". For some it is a cookie in each hand!
@@jobrown8146 LOL!!!
@@kenswanston820 I used to be a carb addict. I had a FB memory come up which said: 3 course dinner tonight, entree bread and butter, main bread, butter and vegemite, dessert, bread, butter and honey. I must have bought a fresh loaf of bread that day.
I've been low carb for 2y 9m now and haven't eaten regular flour bread in that time. I thought I would miss it, but I don't. I have two "breads" that I make that I use for my work lunches; one is what I call waffle bread (coconut flour, psyllium husk powder, egg, butter and baking powder) and the other is 90 sec microwave mug bread which is the same as above but has ground flax seed as well.
@@jobrown8146 Currently at 72 years of age, I had been on/off the low carb Keto diet program for a couple of years and managed to go from 6'4" at 245lbs down to 210 - 220lbs. After a blood test came back my Dr. tried to put me on a statin and I said NO...unless he authorized a Coronary Artery Calcium Scan, which he initial didn't. About three months later I got a call from a hospital with a time to come in for it. I was expecting a number from 0 - 100 which is pretty good...results came back with my number being just over 1000 (a walking heart attack waiting to happen!) and started taking my statin that day...later changed to another one after muscle aches.
I (erroneously) blamed my on/off keto routine on my wife (30+ years Parkinson's) who cooks carbs but doesn't finish them so I 'clean-up' so as to 'waste not want not' for the starving kids in Africa...from my parents dinner table growing up! She has an unquenchable need for candies, cookies, and ice-cream of various varieties that I'm drawn to help her finish as well...all MY bad...occasionally non-existent...will power!
My 'go to' food to watch football or hockey WAS...a bag of Ms Vickie's Salt and Malt Vinegar chips generously washed down with cold beer...ahhh! The hardest thing to give up by FAR!
I'm now trying to stick to intermittent fasting 8/16 with a salad for supper (spinach, shredded carrot, diced (colored) bell pepper, celery sticks, sauerkraut, hemp hearts, tomato, sliced red onion, four or five olives and half an avocado...with a homemade dressing of vinegar, balsamic vinegar, dry mustard and olive oil...topped with two or three diced slices of ham or half a can of salmon). Hoping it will make up for my ice-cream and chocolate chip cookie indulgences...but knowing...it doesn't! 😞
Being addicted to the web and all the "easy instant solutions" that don't seem to work without spending money has led me to Dr. Westman, Dr. Sten Ekberg, Dr. Mark Hyman, Dr. William Li, Dr. Pradip Jamnadas and Dr. David Sinclair who all, more or less, suggest you are what you eat, if what you eat has been raised or grown properly...leading to the need for supplements!
FYI: the “ flushing” form of niacin is more efficient, but if you want to lower cholesterol, eating Oreo cookies in large amounts will , but why, cholesterol is present to heal , not harm!
THIS^^^
Cholesterol is used in healing. It does not matter if your LDL’s are high. They (statin pushers) want to see LDL’s as possible, even to zero! Thats deadly advice. You need all cholesterol.
Yes, cholesterol heals. All cholesterol has a job to do. One of those jobs is healing damage caused by anything. So, the healthier you are, the higher your cholesterol will be. And it will continue to raise until it hits the set point by your genes.
This in probably why/how statins, even Oreo cookies lower cholesterol. By causing damage the cholesterol get used. It get lower, and takes time to build up again. The more damage caused, the more healing required, the lower the cholesterol will be. Any resource will diminish if i gets used faster than it is made.
This is the reason for that famous “J” shaped chart, showing increase incidence of death, with the lowering of cholesterol. With the lowest death rate with cholesterol between 300-700 ranges.
Do not take a statin ever.
@@Technichian462I agree with this, and a great way of expressing this theory. I really wish we had a way to prove it.
But as I think, we don’t have any true evidence on anything in nutrition so experiment on yourself, using what we do know about our bodies. Which is we don’t need carbs and most drugs are counterproductive for health. 👍
Statins caused me to get fatty liver disease. I stopped taking it and my LDL cholesterol increased but I don't have fatty liver disease anymore. Almost as if LDL cholesterol is actually protective for my organs.
@@JO-qn8gy it is.
When I am looking for information these two surgeons are the last people I look too
When I was a kid back in the eighties, I was told niacin supplements help ward of mosquitoes, ticks, chiggers etc.
Anyone ever heard that?
I heard that B Complex, via nutritional yeast, did it - also good for pets vs fleas (but get vet advice about the dose!).
@@terfalicious I've been using B Complex for years. Mosquitos, etc...are no longer interested in me!
I am post-diabetic and have lost 110 lbs as a ketovor- still need to lose 40 or so. I am well under 100 g of carbs for years - but I have not been able to lose weight for the past year. Unable to do much exercise because of spinal stenosis and a lung conditon.
Maybe next step carnivore?
Try intermittent fasting? Then 24 hour fasting - it does get easier! Knock those carbs down to 50g/day TOTAL not net! 110lbs, dang girl that's awesome!
You are gonna get all kinds of crazy advise. Just let me say you have done so so well. A total stranger is proud of you 😀
The more we lose the slower it goes. Low carb & a sustainable calorie deficit. You'll get there.
Dr westman is a practicing physician associated with Duke University. He's been doing this for 20 years and he keeps his patience under 20 g of carbohydrate. As much as you lose weight when you have hundred pounds to go then when you start honing it in.
Talking to 2 Docs will bring in other doctor specialists to discuss different healthcare practices. They are a great source of information presented in a nonpretencious manner.
I started taking B3 because I keep getting skin cancer and my dermatologist had a sign on her wall to take B3. Well I didn’t investigate like I should have and have been taking my statin and B3 . A big mistake. Well I stopped my B3 today. I want to get off my statin but I plan on waiting to my next checkup to talk to the doctor. I have lost 10lbs in the last month and cut carbohydrates and sugar which he suggested.
I took niacin for a while but stopped because the dosage required to even possibly make a difference caused a CRAZY amount of uncomfortable flushing. My face turned beet red and felt like it was on fire.
For me it wasn't worth it for a benefit that is not necessarily proven.
Me too! My whole body was on fire and beet red.
@@sylviawolff433 Ditto -with intense, unbearable itching head to toe for 7 solid hours. I would have ripped my skin off for relief! And that was a Rx 'non-flush' formula! NEVER AGAIN!!!
There is a no-flush version out there.
@@kenswanston820 I've had OTC types and Rx prescription types of 'no-flush' that gave me the same bad reactions. Niacin supplementation is not for everybody!
Small doses spread out, same with vitamin c that gives you the runs when too much is in your system 😂
It has definitely worked for me.
14:26 - As somebody who's very familiar with sunburn and prescribed high-dose niacin for cholesterol, I can describe the "flush" as sunburn without the pain...
I’ve been keto since 2020. Don’t care about LDL, obviously it’s the TG:HDL ratio that matters, so no issue there for me... However, I do supplement with Niacin (and Thiamine) for a completely different reason: Raynaud’s (in my fingers if they get too cold and/or damp in the wintertime). Dr. Westman, any thoughts on the efficacy of supplemental Niacin/Thiamine for this reason? I *think* it’s helping, but I’m not sure…
Just a suggestion. Consider going full carnivore for 90 days. (during cold weather). We did this in January and my husband was able to go the rest of winter without any Raynaud's episodes.
I have a basic belief that cholesterol is there to address some issue. If my body makes high cholesterol then it needs it? Why would you want to lower it artificially. If you address whatever is going on that caused your body to produce so much cholesterol, then it should lower on its own, in a healthy way.
And hypothyroidism can cause high cholesterol too because of low metabolism..
When I have taken supplemental B3 I develop sudden anger. Very dangerous for me.
Never take any one vitamin alone. B3 should be taken with others.
@@08turboSS B is COMPLEX for a reason - they all work together synergistically. Good advice!
Please do a Doctor Reacts on Dr Neil Barnard Podcast on Olive oil being bad 🙏
20 years ago I told my doctor I would rather die than take Niacin because of asevere side effects!
Happy side effects of Niacin with the “burn” are hair growth which I have experienced myself. Been taking it for about 5 years and experienced a huge difference in hair growth, thickness and filling in above temples. Also my husband who is an orthopedic surgeon, began taking it post-radiation and chemo for radiation damage to the mucosal lining on his jaws and in his throat. He has seen tissue improvement where normally it would get gradually worse over time. He had his treatment at MD Anderson and his radiation oncologist is on board and amazed.
Well, first off, lowering cholesterol isn't really a good thing. So the premise for the question is faulty.
Secondly: if you want to get rid of plaque and thus solve the actual problem, there's several things that help, the best probably being nattokinase, supported by vitamin D and magnesium. Fasting also helps, and if memory serves me, so does curcumin(turmeric).
If you are going to give advice, tell us why. Why is lowering cholesterol 'not really a good thing'? That isn't very scientific reasoning right there.
@@KJ-lb4tj Why is lowering cholesterol a good thing then? Many people already have low cholesterol so why should anyone advise them to lower it even more? That could be very dangerous. OK has every right to express his/her opinion.
@@KJ-lb4tj We need cholesterol, for a great many bodily functions. It's not just the repair media for your arteries, it's a vital building block for hormones such as testosterone and estrogen, for parts of the immune system, and for the protective myelin sheaths for your nerves, your brain is 70% cholesterol. If you inhibit the body's ability to create cholesterol(which is what statins do) all these things are inhibited, the brain especially suffers, dementia follows.
~ I take niacin for brain benefit. Later learned about the effects on blood lipids and vascular inflammation ... 💊
So you are saying it helps with inflammation? In your experience?
Can you take this while on Plavix?
I've considered taking it. Still on the fence.
After years of studying STATIN DRUGS it's been proven to lengthen your life Span by 3 Hours on Average
Wow! Bought a bunch of chobani yogurt-- zero sugar. pretty good. Today's was really good. So good I decided to double-check the label. Sure enough: 15 grams carbs....regular one!!😢😢
I have noticed I am developing signs of Xantheloma (yellow growths) around my eyes and eyelids - too much cholestoral?. I am 90% carnivore and doing well on it (lost 5 stone in 18 months) BUT I had flu at the beginning of the year which went on my chest. Then I was lucky enough to get covid and the extended bed rest resulted in me having a nasty sciatica episode which I'm still recovering from. Basically I wasn't getting outside and getting a good dose of natural vitamin D and my appetite was low so I have tried a low dose of niacin to address the yellow eyes. It seems to be having some effect but I don't see it as a long term. I'm hoping a return to regular weight bearing and other informal exercise will also help.
Fascinating they don't see reduced events or mortality despite lowering cholesterol. So it must be something the Niacin does.
Could it be the LDL is not that big if a risk factor that lowering it a bit shows up in the mortality??
Just a thought here. 😉
I am a doctor and I do not agree with the fact that a doctor trained mainly in a certain specialty is automatically knowledgeable in that field, more often than less he/she is just applying official protocols...therefore also an orthopedic surgeon can know better about nutrition than the majority of internal medicine doctors(e.g. Dr Shawn Baker MD)
Im on a carnivore diet... should I keep using statin?
You should watch all the Dr. Berry videos on cholesterol and statins to help make that decision.
Basically, it has been shown that if you take a statin daily for 30 years you will extend your life for single digit DAYS, NOT YEARS.
Not really worth all the side effects.
In addition, I wouldn’t take keto advice from a chiropractor!
I would. At least from some chiropractors such as Dr, Sten Ekberg.
And Dr. Berg
@@von20808Dr Berg is a salesman who makes a very significant income from his supplement business
Their job description is not what I would focus on. Personal knowledge does not need to come from a degree.
Their job description is not what I would focus on. Knowledge and insight does not need to come from a degree. In fact some degrees including medicine do not give knowledge of dietary impacts
Why would I want to lower my cholesterol??
pharmacological groups do not pay for the studies of their medicine and therefore do not lie
😂😂😂😂
Oh good! And I believe politicians are NEVER influenced by their donors? I do! LOL!
I will say that I took 1000mg of niacin for 3 months brought my ldl down 100 points
Way too much blockading IMO YES or NO?
spouse had trigs of 187 in February. For some reason I had him take 100-500mg niacinamide. Two weeks ago his trigs were 139 and that's after he stopped taking his metformin. N of 1 but nonetheless niacinamide is making something happen that is good
Ironically, whilst W is here saying to listen to the experts in a field, Jason Fung is telling Dr. Boz that endocrinologists are the most resistant to believing diabetes can be reversed via diet....
Maybe they don't want to ruin their industry.
maria wrote, _"saying to listen to the experts in a field"_
This is something that bothers me, too. Generally speaking, 'expertise' is associated with education, credentials, and even licensing. But education is based (ideally, anyway) on studies. And as Dr. W pointed out, some studies are more readily funded than others, meaning medication studies rather than lifestyle studies.
Sometimes, a theory is sensible but the implementation of that theory is not. This, I believe, is the case with peer review. Peer review itself is a great framework. The problem is that not everything that can, or ought to be, peer reviewed... is (again, because some studies are more readily funded than others). So, while I'm careful not to throw out the baby with the bath water, I'm also continually aware that whatever science exists within the bounds of peer review... well, it's incomplete. And what this means is that 'experts' are really only experts in a field of incomplete information.
I do consult with experts to consider what they say, and why they say it. But, most of the time, I rely on my own judgment about things. Obviously not critical care instances, but for general health and well-being, and often for the situations where food vs supplements vs medicine are concerned.
@@RichardHarlos to me, the juncture between science & religion conflates pretty quickly, tho W makes them sound black & white & finite entities. We, & that includes docs & the scientific community, have to take most info on faith. No one has the time or wherewithal to figure everything thing out for ourselves. Plus, we're locked into a certain set of foundational generational beliefs & state of knowledge. As Attia says, nothing is really provable in biology.
@@CatouMilou or their lucrative kickbacks😉
I am Ketovore and on many days carnivore. So I for sure don't need Niacin. I liked your video a lot, and I agree with you that people should give advice in their special field and not in someone else's. In German we say "Shoemaker, stick to your lasts". These two doctors make education sound like fun/funny but the information appears insufficient and poorly researched.
Most supplements just make money for the supplement companies, imho.
Every drug/supplement makes money for the company producing it... Doesn't mean it's good/bad healthy or unhealthy
@@KJ-lb4tj True, but we also have to be rather wary of claims they make for these supplements. They're trying to make a profit off of the consumer. _Buyer beware_ is still in operation, imho.
WHY would I want to lower my cholesterol?? Tell me that first. For What reason would I want to do that. Oh, no good answer for that, I thought so.
I kept expecting one of these drs to poke the other in the eyes woop-woop-woop three stooges
Haha, Dr westman must absolutely hate these guys. Never heard him so condescending before. I agree with most of his points, but recall NO MD gets any training at all in nutrition in school. They all have to get it on their own afterwards, assuming they are dedicated enough to their overall craft to do so.
Video is way too long. Need to get to a point, any point. Ugh. No help info here just blah blah & fillers.
What about your friend Dr. Berg? He's a chiropractor!
And a scientologist!! How's that for a combination 😃
He’s a medical doctor. Look him up! I think you are mistaking him for Dr Ekberg. But Dr Ekberg also bases his advice on thorough research. I’d listen to either of them over most local GPs these days.
@@CLooLoo Who? Doctor Berg here on TH-cam? According to his website he's a chiropractor. TH-cam made him add the "DC" after his name because he was giving medical advice.
He's a salesman who makes a VERY significant income from his supplement business
@@Tom-fo5ce Noooooooo!!!!!Say it ain't so! 😱🤯😭
Sorry doc...I found this to be a waste of time. I'd rather listen to your informed experience in treating high cholesterol than talking about a couple surgeons who really have no business offering there typical "sickness industry" opinions.
I blocked the Laurel and Hardy jokers. Thick .
These two are NOT a reliable resource. Period.
❤
Waste of time vid by these 2 Doctors , Have the idea that Doc 1 never took Niacin supplements in the 1st place.
Listen widely. BaD news. Peter Attia basically says type of diet doesn't matter. Total caloric intake does. Is he right? Of course. ((Taubes should also concede to protect his legacy. His work is deep enough for him to pivot before it's too late.) Blood sugar levels are another matter, but there's different paths to success there too. Staying in one lane is ok if your legacy stands on it, sure. But these guys have to go down w the ship. We don't & shouldn't. I listen to carnivores (❤Kelly Hogan) & vegans (chef AJ). I'm here as well. Not losing a pound anyway. I don't listen to fools in any vein; that's critical 2, ,& they're easy to vet.
Best I've heard is Dr. Zach Knight on Huberman. State of the art says the science is nowhere --rudimentary at best on weight regulation. As if we couldn't tell... Best luck to all.
Listen to VEGANS? 🤣🤣🤣 thx no thx
I find the best thing is to take all the information from all sources and start to do a n=1 experiment on oneself. I did. I found low carb / no carb worked best for me. I feel great and lost a ton of fat (not literally a ton of course 😉) and gained muscle mass. I am now in an athletic range where I never thought I would be again at my age.
But again. Experience can vary.
Very interesting take, Maria! Some of the influencers do make it sound like the science is very settled.
I've stalled with weight, too. But when I can keep to under 20 grams carbs per day, the weight comes off quickly. At least for me, it does!
@@terfalicious Paul McCartney is a vegan. Hope you're listening to him!😉🎙️🎸🎹
@@matthiaspriester2368 congrats 👏 I'm completely jealous. I'm trying calories. Down 2 lbs this week. Let's see if it's just the humidity lol best luck
I also watch these 2 jokes, but I don't believe them.
You obviously have no understanding of the chiropractors training or philosophy so sy something so ignorant
Well - listening to those two babbling is just stressful and confusing.
And the whole thing is still operating off the dogma of high cholesterol being bad for you, which has been proven to be misinformation.
Dr Westman please say something about colchicine? I'm learning that this once only for gout medicine has recently been approved for cardic purposes because of it's anti-inflamation properties. I've also heard from another TH-cam MD that colchicine is a plaque stabilizer.
Ive long since given up on those two. Superficial coverage, spouting outdated orthodox advice and no sense of curiosity. They also push plant-based. One of them (cant remember which) is vegan but it, somehow, it doesn't come up very often 🫤
The only plants allowed in my house are potted. The oxalates are killer to me!