Red yeast rice is traditional Chinese medicine made from a yeast that naturally grows on starch. For supplemental purposes it is cultivated on rice and then ground into a powder. Its active ingredients include, HMG Co-A reductase inhibitors, the same substances that are used in the cholesterol lowering medications that bear the same name.
Health Benefits of Red Yeast Rice Extract
HMG Co-A reductase is an enzyme that blocks the synthesis of cholesterol in the liver. Thus this extract inhibits the formation of harmful LDL cholesterol, reduces total cholesterol and increases HDL cholesterol. This extract may help lower high cholesterol, heart disease and heart attack risk. Other components in it, like essential fatty acids, amino acids, isoflavones, and trace minerals, support red yeast rice’s cardiovascular effects.
Supplement Varieties
Red yeast rice supplements are found encapsulated. These products should be standardized as an assurance of the amount of active components they contain. It can also be found in combination products for cholesterol control.
Cautions & Limitations
Red yeast rice should not be used in pregnancy, during lactation or by individuals with sensitivities to rice or yeast. It should be used with caution if you are taking other cholesterol lowering medications. It may interact with blood thinners, erythromycin, anti-fungals, cyclosporin, niacin and fibrinolytic agents, and it may cause gastrointestinal upset in sensitive individuals.
HMG Co-A reductase inhibitor medication have many side effects that have not been reported in people taking this extract; however, theoretically, these side effects are possible. They include liver toxicity and muscle wasting disorders. Individuals with liver disease, serious infections, recent surgery, organ transplants or regular consumers of alcohol (more than 1-2 drinks daily) are at a greater risk when taking cholesterol lowering medication and, theoretically, red yeast rice extract.
