All Episodes

March 5, 2024 20 mins

Episode Summary:
Does Niacin really increase your risk of a heart attack? In this episode, Aimee goes all out breaking apart the recent study on niacin and heart attack risk. She critiques the study's methodology and highlights the misleading conclusions drawn by the authors. She emphasizes the importance of considering the study population, which consisted of individuals with existing cardiovascular disease, and the lack of examination of niacin intake in the participants. Aimee also questions the researchers' failure to address other factors that could contribute to elevated levels of niacin metabolites, such as impaired metabolic function. She concludes that the study's suggestions to eliminate niacin fortification are unwarranted and irresponsible. In this episode, Aimee summarizes the pros and cons of this research so you can decide whether you should be concerned.

Key Takeaways:

  • The study suggesting that niacin may increase the risk of heart disease is based on flawed methodology and misleading conclusions.
  • Niacin has long been used and respected as a lipid-lowering agent, and its efficacy is still a topic of debate in comparison to statins.
  • The study population consisted of individuals with existing cardiovascular disease, which is an important factor to consider when interpreting the results.
  • The researchers failed to examine the niacin intake of the participants, making it unclear whether supplemental niacin was a contributing factor.
  • Other factors, such as impaired metabolic function, could lead to elevated levels of niacin metabolites and should have been considered in the study.

Notable Quotes:

  • "To point a finger at niacin fortification is irresponsible and unwarranted at this stage." - Aimee
  • "These researchers did not consider the impact that an impaired metabolic system might have on cellular stress and production of these metabolites." - Aimee
  • "This paper is a fantastic example of research authors spinning the data and the media taking it even further to create clickbait." - Aimee

Resources:

Photography by: Dai Ross Photography
Podcast Cover Art:
Lilly Kate Creative
Work with Aimee
Ferrell, M., Wang, Z., Anderson, J.T. et al. A terminal metabolite of niacin promotes vascular inflammation and contributes to cardiovascular disease risk. Nat Med 30, 424–434 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-023-02793-8

Additional Research citations and resources are at  Blasphemous Nutrition on Su

CHAT ME UP: let me know what's on your mind by texting here!

Find Research Citations and Transcript at Blasphemous Nutrition on Substack

Work with Aimee

Photography by: Dai Ross Photography

Podcast Cover Art: Lilly Kate Creative

How to Leave a Review on Apple Podcasts
Via iOS Device
1. Open Apple Podcast App (purple app icon that says Podcasts).
2. Go to the icons at the bottom of the screen and choose “search”
3. Search for “Blasphemous Nutrition”
4. Click on the SHOW, not the episode.
5. Scroll all the way down to “Ratings and Reviews” section
6. Click on “Write a Review” (if you don’t see that option, click on “See All” first)
7. Rate the show on a five-star scale (5 is highest rating) and write a review!
8. Bask in the glow of doing a good deed that makes a difference!

Mark as Played

Advertise With Us

Popular Podcasts

My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark

My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark

My Favorite Murder is a true crime comedy podcast hosted by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark. Each week, Karen and Georgia share compelling true crimes and hometown stories from friends and listeners. Since MFM launched in January of 2016, Karen and Georgia have shared their lifelong interest in true crime and have covered stories of infamous serial killers like the Night Stalker, mysterious cold cases, captivating cults, incredible survivor stories and important events from history like the Tulsa race massacre of 1921. My Favorite Murder is part of the Exactly Right podcast network that provides a platform for bold, creative voices to bring to life provocative, entertaining and relatable stories for audiences everywhere. The Exactly Right roster of podcasts covers a variety of topics including historic true crime, comedic interviews and news, science, pop culture and more. Podcasts on the network include Buried Bones with Kate Winkler Dawson and Paul Holes, That's Messed Up: An SVU Podcast, This Podcast Will Kill You, Bananas and more.

24/7 News: The Latest

24/7 News: The Latest

The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.

Dateline NBC

Dateline NBC

Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com

Music, radio and podcasts, all free. Listen online or download the iHeart App.

Connect

© 2025 iHeartMedia, Inc.