CNN Interviews Natural Standard - Red Yeast Rice

Strength of Cholesterol-Lowering Supplements Varies Widely

CNN recently interviewed Dr. Catherine Ulbricht, co-founder of Natural Standard and Senior Attending Pharmacist at Massachusetts General Hospital, about the safety and effectiveness of red yeast rice supplements, which are popularly used to lower cholesterol.

The news article highlights a recent study that found that red yeast rice supplements may contain varying amounts of monacolins, the active ingredients responsible for their cholesterol-lowering effects. One of these ingredients, monacolin K, has the same chemical structure as the prescription drugs lovastatin and mevinolin.

The researchers purchased 12 commercial red yeast rice supplements and analyzed them for their monacolin content. Although the products were said to contain 600 milligrams of red yeast rice, they contained anywhere from 0.31 to 11.15 milligrams of monacolins per capsule.
Many supplements, including red yeast rice, are not standardized to contain specific ingredients or dosages, Dr. Ulbricht told CNN.

Four of the supplements also contained detectable amounts of citrinin, a toxin that has been shown to cause kidney damage in animals.

Red yeast rice has also been studied as a potential therapy for coronary artery disease and diabetes, although evidence of effectiveness is currently inconclusive in these areas.

For more information about red yeast rice, please visit Natural Standard's Foods, Herbs & Supplements database. http://naturalstandard.com/

References:

1. Gardner A. Strength of cholesterol-lowering supplements varies widely. CNN Article. Health.com Article. http://news.health.com/2010/10/25/red-yeast-rice/
2. Gordon RY, Cooperman T, Obermeyer W, et al. Marked variability of monacolin levels in commercial red yeast rice products: buyer beware! Arch Intern Med. 2010 Oct 25;170(19):1722-7. View Abstract http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20975018
3. Natural Standard: The Authority on Integrative Medicine. http://www.naturalstandard.com/

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Cholesterol Supplements: What Works? Red yeast rice

Below, we break down what the research does—and doesn’t—say about the benefits of the most popular supplements for lowering cholesterol.

Red yeast rice
What it is: A fungus that grows on rice and contains small amounts of lovastatin, a naturally occurring form of statin.

The evidence: In numerous studies over the years, various red yeast rice preparations have been shown to lower LDL by around 20% to 30%, comparable to a prescription statin. In the most recent clinical trial, red yeast rice capsules lowered LDL by 21%.

The bottom line: Red yeast rice’s ability to lower cholesterol is proven, but its potency makes some experts wary. The amount of lovastatin in red yeast rice pills varies widely across brands (some may even be spiked with it), and due to safety concerns doctors discourage its use.

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