Don't overlook niacin for treating cholesterol problems. If you can conquer or cope with the "niacin flush," this B vitamin can do wonders for cholesterol.

If a drug company wanted to create the ideal cholesterol-lowering medication, here's what it would make: a safe, inexpensive pill that lowered levels of LDL (bad) cholesterol and triglycerides, raised HDL (good) cholesterol, and changed the sizes of cholesterol particles to make them less harmful or more beneficial. Of the current cholesterol-lowering drugs on the market, niacin comes closest to this.