Niacin superior to ezetimibe for vascular health with coronary artery disease

In this study just published in the New England Journal of Medicine, niacin did a better job of increasing HDL ("good") cholesterol, reducing the thickness of the blood vessel wall (which thickens with pathology), and reducing "major cardiovascular events". Interestingly, greater reductions in LDL by ezetimibe (which blocks cholesterol absorption in the gut) was associated with an undesirable increase in blood vessel thickness. Cholesterol is the precursor for every steroid hormone and a component of all cell membranes. Blocking cholesterol and other sterol absorption in the gut can have unforeseen consequences.