Niacin can increase your HDL aka Good Cholestrol levels
There is some evidence niacin (vitamin B3) helps increase HDL. Michael Poon, MD, chief of cardiology at the Cabrini Medical Center in New York, says people with low HDL levels might benefit from taking 500 milligrams of niacin each day, building up to 1,000 milligrams a day. But he warns that supplemental niacin "can have some side effects and is not for everybody, particularly for people who already have high HDL levels. "He says anyone taking niacin supplements should be monitored by a doctor. Short of supplements, many foods contain niacin as well. Here are a few:
| Food |
Amount of niacin
|
| White-meat chicken, 3.5 oz cooked |
13.4 mg
|
| Mackerel, 3.5 oz cooked |
10.7 mg
|
| Trout, 3.5 oz, cooked |
8.8 mg
|
| Salmon, 3.5 oz cooked |
8 mg
|
| Veal, 3.5 oz cooked |
about 8 mg (ranges from 6.4-9.3)
|
| Dark-meat chicken, 3.5 oz cooked |
7.1 mg
|
| Lamb, 3.5 oz cooked |
6.6 mg
|
| White-meat turkey, 3.5 oz cooked |
6.2 mg
|
| Ground beef, 3.5 oz cooked |
5.3 mg
|
| Peanuts, 1/4 cup |
5.3 mg
|
| Pork, 3.5 oz cooked |
about 4.8 mg (ranges from 4.1-5.4)
|
| Peanut butter, 2 tablespoons |
4.4 mg
|
| Beef steak, 3.5 oz cooked |
about 4.1 mg (ranges from 3.6-4.5)
|