Red Yeast Rice for Cholesterol Lowering - Be Careful!

Many consumers use red yeast rice as an alternative to statin drugs for lowering LDL-cholesterol and triglycerides. However, a brief description and word of caution are warranted.

Red yeast rice has been around for centuries, first described in ancient Chinese writing as early as 800 AD. Red yeast rice has been used in Asian cuisine as a dietary staple as well as Asian medicine.  

The rice is cultivated with Monacus purpureus (mold) giving it a red color. The mold produces various substances called monacolins one of which is lovastatin. Lovastatin produces cholesterol-lowering effects by inhibiting HMG CoA reductase, an enzyme necessary for cholesterol synthesis. Lovastatin is the active ingredient in Mevacor, a statin drug manufactured by Merck and Co only available through Rx.

Here are some of the problems (cautions).

Since it is considered a dietary supplement, it is not regulated. Therefore, the amount of lovastatin in each product will vary. Taking too little will have negligible cholesterol-lowering effects, and taking too much can cause mild side effects such as stomach upset or nausea, bloating , gas , heartburn and indigestion .

Some individuals develop muscle pain and weakness especially in the calf muscles can occur. An unlikely, yet very serious condition called rhabdomyolysis (breakdown of skeletal muscle) has been reported. The rapid breakdown of skeletal muscle releases myoglobin (protein) into the blood, which causes kidney damage and if untreated, can lead to kidney failure. Individuals with this condition will have muscle pain and weakness, and dark colored urine.

Taking red yeast rice with niacin,  or various drugs like gemifibrozol, clofibrate, erythromycin, cyclosporine, and statin drugs can exacerbate the above noted side effects as well cause liver toxicity.

Some red yeast rice products contain citrinin, a toxin that can also causes kidney damage. Most pharmaceutical grade red yeast rice supplements remove this impurity.

So, how do you know if your red yeast rice is safe? My recommendation is to check with your healthcare provider for his or her recommendation, or visit ConsumerLab.com.

Bottom Line: unless you are one of those unfortunate few that genetically produces too much cholesterol, keeping your levels within optimum levels is best achieved through proper diet and exercise, and reducing high-glycemic carbohydrates and alcohol. Doing so will reduce or eliminate the need for pill taking, whether a dietary supplement or drug.

Dr. Sardone
Author of The Naked Truth: Overweight, Overwhelmed and Confused
www.drsardone.com