Cardiac and circulatory diseases are arguably one of the biggest health problems ever to plague mankind and are the recipients of huge amounts of media attention and the subject of exhaustive research. There are, however, many naturally occurring substances found in the food we eat that may aid in the fight against arterial disease. One of these groups or families of natural substances are the so called "Statins" that, among other effects, are believed to inhibit the synthesis of cholesterol. One such food type rich in a natural equivalent of the commercial drug Lovastatin is traditional Chinese red yeast rice.
Red yeast rice has been used in China for centuries as a natural treatment for digestive and circulatory ailments but did not achieve any great recognition in western nations until the connection was made between the naturally occurring statins in the rice and commercial drugs that were being used to treat high cholesterol in mainstream medicine.
Red yeast rice is not a sub species or specific strain of rice but rather normal white or brown rice that is inoculated with the Monascus purpureus yeast strain. How or why the Chinese started treating rice in this fashion is not clear but the rice, which turns red during the inoculation process, obviously proved to be beneficial not only as a food source but medicinally as a treatment for circulatory ailments as well.
In the 1970's researchers in the US were isolating the lovastatin compound from Aspergillus. At roughly the same time research in Japan was isolating monacolins for Monascus, a yeast identical to the one used to inoculate red yeast rice. The results of these two largely unrelated research efforts turned up one interesting commonality. This was that lovastatin and one of the monacolin isolates, monacolin K, are identical. Lovastatin went on to be marketed as the commercial prescription drug Mevacor and red yeast rice became a sought after, non-prescription dietary supplement.
Unfortunately is did not take the FDA long to make the connection between the RYR (red yeast rice) and Mevacor and due to the absolute similarity in statin content between the two it ruled that RYR was a regulable substance and ordered its removal from the commercial circuit. This decision was the subject of vigorous resistance, debate and litigation which has resulted in any RYR encountered today will have no lovastatin content. Sadly as the "purged" product is then no longer regulable, the exact contents are often unknown and it is difficult to establish what you are getting from product to product.
These moves have not completely destroyed the value of RYR as a cholesterol control agent though as the results of two recent, independent clinical trials indicate that the uses of RYR products still aid in containing both total and LDL levels. It should be stressed though that in both trials the application of RYR was accompanied by lifestyle change measures and the yeast compounds where therefore supplemental to complete cholesterol reduction regimens.
So, what is RYR exactly and how is it produced? Basically, as mentioned previously, common or garden rice is used as an incubation medium and subsequent carrier for the Monascus purpureus yeast strain. This is typically achieved by soaking the rice in water until it is saturated then steaming it to sterilize and pre-cook the grains. The rice is then either directly inoculated with live M. purpureus spores or exposing the grains to powdered RYR. This rice is then incubated at room temperature for 3 - 6 days during which time the grains become cultured with the yeast and turn a vivid red colour on the inside and a dark purple colour on the outer surface of the grains.
The cultured rice is then dried and can be powdered or re-cooked and used conventionally in table dishes or as a pasteurized paste. Of course at this point the statin content of the RYR is far higher than anything bough in commercial supplement form and caution should be used when consuming the RYR as muscle pains are commonly reported by statin users. RYR prepared in this fashion has been used in China since the Tang Dynasty in 800 A.D where it was used as a tonic, digestive aid and a treatment for circulatory ailments. The continued use of any substance for that length of time is a sure indication of some form of efficacy and this concept is backed up by contemporary scientific and clinical research which is a clear indicator that RYR products are, indeed, beneficial in the treatment of high cholesterol.
From a commercial dietary supplement perspective one should try and remember that the basic principles apply to red yeast rice products that do to all foods, supplements and medication. First consult a medical professional and only use these products if they are cleared by the doctor. Do some legwork on any potential products you intend using and try and establish the credibility of the manufacturers and the accuracy of the ingredient lists. This is important as it is believed that some manufacturer's products contain virtually pure monacolin K or are enhanced with pure lovastatin. Statin drugs have been shown to be the cause of liver and muscle damage so caution is advised.
Apart from that, red yeast rice appears to be a legitimate, natural source of compounds that are proven to reduce or at least aid in reducing cholesterol which would make RYR a valuable supplement which, when used sensibly, will produce positive nutritional results at the very least.
Adhering to the proven precept that conventional medicine has a strong and relevant counterpart in naturally occurring remedies, we supply a wide range of related natural products. M.A.S.S. Enterprise.com Visit our website at.
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