Before beginning Niacin therapy to help with your cholesterol and blood lipid levels, it's VERY important that you understand the difference between Niacin (nicotinic acid) and what is called No-Flush Niacin (inositol hexanicotinate).
No-Flush Niacin, inositol hexanicotinate, is NOT Niacin and WILL NOT help your blood lipid levels. It will NOT lower you VLDL or your cholesterol, and it WILL NOT increase your HDL (the "good" stuff")
No-Flush Niacin is a marketing gimmick by supplement companies to cash in on Niacin's reputation for positively affecting cholesterol levels, their claim being the No-Flush Niacin works the same as Niacin but without the "Niacin flush".
This is, simply put, NOT TRUE.
Inositol hexanicotinate is inositol that has been esterified with niacin to be sold as "flush-free" or "no-flush" Niacin. It's often marketed and labeled as Niacin and claims the same benefits, misleading consumers into thinking they're getting the active form Niacin. "Flush-free" Niacin preparations do not contain any free nicotinic acid, and it's the nicotinic acid that has the positive effect on cholesterol.
While No-Flush Niacin imparts the nutritional benefits of Niacin in that it prevents the disease pellegra, it won't help you in any way with your blood lipid levels.
If helping control you cholesterol levels is the reason you're considering Niacin supplementation, No-Flush Niacin preparations will not help.
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