Red yeast rice

 

Red yeast rice is rice that has been fermented by the red yeast, Monascus purpureus which has been used by the Chinese for over 1000 years as a food preservative, food colorant (red coat on Peking duck), spice and an ingredient in rice wine. This dietary staple is extended to Japan and Asian communities in the United States as well, with an estimated average consumption of 14 to 55 grams of red yeast rice per day per person.

Also popular for traditional medicinal purposes, its usage include improving blood circulation and for alleviating indigestion and diarrhea. In recent years, it has been developed by Chinese and American scientists as a product to lower blood lipids, including cholesterol and triglycerides.

Effective in reducing cholesterol?

Small scale studies using pharmaceutical-grade red rice yeast have continued to demonstrate efficacy and safety. However, in the United States it is no longer legal to sell supplements of red yeast rice that contain more than trace amounts of cholesterol lowering substances. Hence, red rice yeast has been removed from Cholestin marketed in the United States. (Hypocol, another product containing red yeast rice is no longer being sold in the United States.)

Research has shown that red yeast rice contains substances that are similar to prescription statin medications. One of these substances, called monacolin K, has the same makeup as the drug lovastatin. Statins are prescribed to lower “bad” LDL cholesterol levels and help reduce the risk of heart disease.

Research has shown that red yeast stops the action of an enzyme in the body called HMG-CoA reductase, which helps make cholesterol but are not sure if the cholesterol-lowering effect of red yeast rice was due to the presence of lovastatin or other compounds in red yeast rice. However, many red yeast rice supplements do contain lovastatin, the Food and Drug Administration considered them to be drugs, not supplements, and required that manufacturers remove any red yeast rice products that contained lovastatin from the market.

Some disagreed and claimed the amount of lovastatin in red yeast rice is below what you would find in the prescription drug, and think there may be other substances in red yeast rice that help lower cholesterol. More studies are needed.

A study presented before the American Heart Association also showed that red yeast rice lowered LDL cholesterol. In the first study, 187 people had mild-to-moderate elevations in total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol. The study showed that treatment with red yeast rice reduced total cholesterol by more than 16%, LDL cholesterol by 21%, and triglycerides by 24%. HDL cholesterol also increased by 14%.

 

Precautions

 

In Traditional Chinese Medicine, the dosage of dietary or supplemental red yeast rice is as high as 6,000 – 9,000 mg per day. However, most studies have used standardized extract of 600 mg (oral doses) two to four times daily. It is reported that elderly people who took 1,200 mg per day of red yeast rice in an 8-week study had no significant side effects. Going further, it is not clear whether it is safe to use red yeast rice for longer than 12 weeks.

 

Who should avoid

 

+ Patients with liver disease and those at risk for liver disease should not take red yeast rice as it may side effect as statin drugs
+ Patients with kidney disease, thyroid disorders, cancer and musculoskeletal disorders
+ People who drink more than two alcoholic beverages a day
+ People who have a serious infection or physical disorder
+ People who have undergone an organ transplant
+ Teenagers
+ Pregnancy and breastfeeding women

Side Effects

Side effects of red yeast rice are rare but can include:

• Headache
• Stomach ache or bloating
• Gas
• Dizziness
• Heartburn
• Muscle aches and weakness — this can lead to a serious condition called rhabdomyolysis, and you should stop taking red yeast rice immediately and call your doctor

Interactions and Depletions:

 

+ Cholesterol-lowering medications — Red yeast rice should not be taken with cholesterol-lowering medications unless supervised by your doctor as it may make the effect of these drugs stronger, increasing the risk of liver damage.

+ Anticoagulants (blood-thinners) — Red yeast rice may increase the risk of bleeding.

+ Grapefruit juice – If you take a statin, grapefruit and grapefruit juice can increase the amount of the drug in your blood. That can increase your risk of side effects and liver damage. As red yeast rice may act like statins in the body, never combine with grapefruit juice or grapefruit for the same reason.

+ Coenzyme Q10 — Statins can lower the amount of Coenzyme Q10 in the body – an element very important in heart and muscle health, and in energy production. Side effects of CoQ10 depletion include fatigue, muscle aches, pains and damage.

Alternative Names:

Angkak; Beni-koji; Hong qu; Hung-chu; Monascus; Red koji; Red leaven; Red rice; Xue zhi kang; Zhitai

Source: http://www.umm.edu/altmed/articles/red-yearice-000323.htm
http://www.medicinenet.com/red_yeast_rice_and_cholesterol/article.htm

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Taking all the above products simultaneously can bring down LDL and triglycerides, and raise HDL steadily. Red yeast rice (including hypocol) and statin drugs have side effects on the liver especially on prolonged usage whereas supplements have only side benefits.