Lowering Cholesterol With Red-Yeast Rice

Red-yeast rice has been used for over a thousand years by the Chinese to improve blood circulation. Red-yeast rice contains several ingredients that may help control cholesterol levels. These include a number of monacolins, most importantly monacolin K. It also contains sterols, isoflavones, and monounsaturated fatty acids, or "healthy fats". Red-yeast rice is the fermented product of rice on which red yeast (Monascus purpureus) has been grown.

In China, consumption of red-yeast rice has been studied and found to reduce total cholesterol by 11-32%. Red-yeast rice is a dietary staple in many Asian countries including Japan and China. Typical daily consumption is between 0.5 to 2.0 ounces per day. It has also been used in the U.S. by the Asian Americans and has been shown to reduce cholesterol and prevent heart disease.

There are three major preparations of red-yeast rice: Zhitai, Cholestin or Hypocol, and Xuezhikang. Cholestin or Hypocol produce a concentration of monacolin K which is lovastatin the active ingredient in the medication Mevacor.

In studies done by the Chinese, Zhitai and Xuezhikang showed that total cholesterol was lowered by 10-30%, LDL cholesterol was lowered by an average of 10-20%, triglycerides lowered by 15-25%, and HDL increased by an average of 7-15%.

Studies at UCLA have shown that Cholestin reduced total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and triglyceride levels but had no effect on HDL cholesterol.

These studies were for several weeks in duration, so the long-term effects of eating red-yeast rice is not known. However, many Asians have eaten red-yeast rice for generations without any particular problems; it is considered a traditional Chinese medicine.

In the United States, the FDA asked manufacturers of red-yeast products to remove them from the market because they contained lovastatin. The FDA cited a risk of severe muscle problems that could lead to kidney disease. So if you want to purchase red-yeast rice extracts you'll have to go to other countries or the Internet.

More research needs to be done before we can know about the long-term safety of red-yeast rice. We do know that some types of red-yeast rice may be more dangerous than others because of high levels of other substances such as citrinic acid.

There are purity and concentration issues that one must keep in mind. The amount of monacolin -- perhaps the most important ingredient -- can vary a lot. There are many different strains of the yeast. Different types of fermentation are used. One study of different brands of red yeast rice supplements showed that the amount of monacolin ranged from 0% to 0.58%.

Also there may be medication-interaction issues. It's best to consult with your medical doctor first before trying to lower your cholesterol with red-yeast rice.

About the Author: Tim Lazaro is a nutrition scholar and competitive, masters runner who writes on issues related to heart health, natural-food diets, and aerobic exercise. By employing the diets and life-style changes that he writes about, he has lowered his total cholesterol and lost weight. If you're sick and tired of fighting the high-cholesterol battle, give yourself a break and download his Free guide here: Five Secrets to Lowering Cholesterol

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