Red Yeast Rice Extract May Help Those Who Can't Tolerate Statins
Red yeast rice is exactly what it sounds like. A yeast that grows on rice, this ancient Asian ingredient already contains a statin-like compound: monacolin K. Monacolin K is a natural form of the cholesterol-lowering drug, lovastatin. While statins play an important role in lowering cholesterol and preventing heart disease, they also have some undesirable side effects, such as muscle pain and elevated liver enzymes. In some people, these symptoms can become so troublesome that they discontinue their statin therapy.
Roughly 62 people with high cholesterol, who had a previous history of discontinuing statin therapy, participated in the study. Half of these individuals took 6 red yeast rice tablets (600 mg each) and the other half took a placebo. Additionally, everyone in the study received instruction on how therapeutic lifestyle changes, such as exercise and diet, could also lower cholesterol. At the end of the 6 month study, it was discovered that the individuals who had received the red yeast rice tablets saw a reduction of LDL cholesterol by an average of 27%!
But buyer beware! Although these results look pretty impressive, it's important to note that they researchers in this study knew the exact amount in each tablet given to the participants in the study. In the real world, this is rare. Unfortunately, red yeast rice products are not considered to be a "drug" by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This means that, while the FDA will ensure that the product is manufactured in a safe and clean facility, it does not regulate the amount of active ingredients -- like monacolin K -- contained in each red yeast rice product. Therefore, you could be getting more or less than what is stated on the label. This could mean the difference between wasting your money on sugar pills to costing you your health.
So, if you are interested in trying red yeast rice supplements to lower your cholesterol, talk it over with your healthcare provider first. Like statins, monacolin K has the potential to interact with other medications you may be taking. If any of you are already taking red yeast rice for lowering your cholesterol, let us know what your experiences have been with the product in the comments section.
Comments
I started taking Red Yeast Rice supplements when my doctor told me that my cholesterol was getting high. My grandmother told me about red yeast rice… she’s had problems with high cholesterol for years.
Anyway, long story short, it really ended up helping to lower my cholesterol. Of course, I changed my diet and started walking, but I’m sure that taking Red Yeast Rice supplements contributed to the improvement of my health.
I recently found out about taking cinnamon cholesterol nutritional supplements in order to help lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels, so I’m going to try that next.
I’ll stay in touch and keep you posted!
I had a full physical 90 days ago and my cholesterol level on Lipitor (10MG/day) was 154. The previous year on the same dosage of Lipitor it was 152. I was experiencing side effects and switched to Red Yeast Rice to see what would happen. I took 600mg AM an 600mg in the PM for 90 days to see what would happen. I went back to the same nurse and doctor and my cholesterol level was 141. No side effects.
Just an FYI for people who take any type of statin drug AND/OR a natural supplement (red yeast rice, plant sterols, etc.) to help reduce cholesterol levels…both the prescription statins and the natural supplements are known to reduce your body’s levels of CoQ10 (coenzyme 10, a necessary enzyme to help energy production), so if you are experiencing muscle pains while taking these products, please consider adding extra CoQ10 to your diet to help cut down on the side effects of either the statin drugs AND/OR the natural supplements.
With the Lovastatin being removed from Red Yeast Rice for the general consumer, the benefits of lowering the LDL rate of bad cholesterol in your diet with this product has been negated to almost zero. The FDA mad them take it out because it was considered a drug. So if you think you will lower your cholesterol by taking Red Yeast Rice, think again. The companies that sell it don’t put on the container that it will lower cholesterol. Do your own research.