Is Red Yeast Rice Extract A Drug Or A Supplement
Confusingly, the answer is both. One of the most important ingredients in RYRE is monacolin K. It’s also known as lovastatin, the active ingredient in the prescription drug Mevacor.
So on one hand, the extract is a traditional remedy that helps lower cholesterol. On the other, the pharmaceutical manufacturer of Mevacor argues that it owns the rights to the ingredient lovastatin.
This confusion extends to how the supplement is sold in the U.S. Because red yeast rice extract contains a substance classified as a prescription drug, the FDA has requested that several RYRE products be withdrawn from the market because they contained monacolin K. The FDA cited a risk of severe muscle problems that could lead to kidney disease.
Despite the FDA’s attempts, many people in the U.S. still manage to get similar red yeast rice extracts from other countries or on the Internet.
Are There Side Effects To Taking Red Yeast Rice
The side effects of Red Yeast Rice supplements may not be as adverse as those of prescription statin drugs. The side effects of a prescription statin drug may be mild headaches, heartburn, and upset stomach. Adverse side effects may include muscle pain, stomach upset, liver damage, liver inflammation or increased blood sugar in type 2 diabetes. Dr. Chapman recommends his patients that take either statins or red yeast rice take 50-100 mg CoQ10 to reduce side effects. Dont drink alcohol if you are taking red yeast rice, because the combination might increase the risk of liver damage. Inform your doctor if you experience any side effects, because more extensive research needs to be done before we can know about the long-term safety of red yeast rice extract.
Common Misconceptions About Foods And Cholesterol
Just because a food contains cholesterol does not mean it will raise cholesterol levels. In fact, the latest Dietary Guidelines for Americans of 2015-2020 removed the recommendation to limit dietary cholesterol to 300 mg per day, stating that adequate evidence was not available. Extensive research does not show that eating foods that contain cholesterol causes heart disease.
However, many foods remain feared for the belief that they increase the risk for heart disease or harm overall health. Some of these foods are highlighted below:
In addition to these foods, there has been concern over the recently trending ketogenic diet and its role in cholesterol levels. This style of eating limits nearly all sources of carbohydrates and instead gets a majority of calories and other nutrients from high-fat foods and protein. This diet includes eating large amounts of meat, eggs, cheese, and other high cholesterol, high saturated fat foods.
While it may seem as though this style of eating would be harmful to cholesterol levels, current research does not support this so far.
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Results Of Clinical Trials
In clinical trials of red yeast rice products that contained substantial amounts of monacolin K, the products lowered blood levels of total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol . It is important to emphasize that all of these clinical trials used products that contained substantial amounts of monacolin K. A 2011 analysis showed that some of the red yeast rice products on the market contain very little monacolin K. These products may have little or no effect on blood cholesterol levels. Therefore, even though the participants in the clinical trials were able to lower their cholesterol levels by taking red yeast rice, you might not be able to achieve the same results.
In one of the clinical trials, the tested product produced a cholesterol-lowering effect greater than would be expected based on its monacolin K content. Further investigations, supported by the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health , suggested that other monacolins or other substances present in the product may have contributed to its cholesterol-lowering effect.
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What Is Red Yeast Rice And Why Should You Take Coq10 With It
Together with red yeast rice, CoQ10 make an amazing duo in lowering the level of bad cholesterol in the body and promote overall cardiovascular health. Intake of CoQ10 is highly recommended to people who take red yeast rice because CoQ10 provides energy and strength to the heart when pumping blood to other organs.
What Tips Do You Have For Eating Healthier Fats
Hahn shared these added tips for including healthy fats into your diet:
- Add a tablespoon of chopped nuts to a salad
- Cook with a light drizzle of olive oil
- Incorporate more fish into your meals during the week
- Use avocados to make chicken or tuna salad instead of mayo
- Limit overly fatty meats, baked or other highly processed, high sugar and fried foods
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Cooper Complete Red Yeast Rice Supplements
Physician formulated, Cooper Complete recommends two capsules containing 1,000 mg Red Yeast Rice twice daily, or as recommended by your health care professional.
It is best to take Red Yeast Rice with food. If you only take Red Yeast Rice once per day, taking at bedtime may be more beneficial to allow more of the product to reach the liver because the liver generally makes most cholesterol at night when dietary intake is lowest. Dont take Red Yeast Rice if youre pregnant, trying to become pregnant or breast-feeding. As with statins, Grapefruit and drinking grapefruit juice may increase the risk of side effects. You should not take it with St. Johns Wort. You should consult with your healthcare provider if you plan to take Red Yeast Rice supplements. Taken over the long term by healthy adults, Red Yeast Rice supplements may help lower blood cholesterol.
Eat To Lower Your Cholesterol
Cholesterol isnt all bad news. Follow these tips to lower your cholesterol, the natural way.
Chances are, youve heard a thing or two about cholesterol. Having high blood cholesterol is a risk factor for developing heart disease.
But did you know that you can reduce your cholesterol level by making smart food choices? Its true!
Cholesterol clarified
Before we get to the details, lets be clear on what were talking about. For years, cholesterol has had a bad rep that it doesnt really deserve. The truth is, we need cholesterol to function. Your body makes most of the cholesterol it needs. The rest comes from foods you eat.
Heres the important thing: Dietary cholesterol found in meat, poultry, eggs and dairy products has less impact on increasing your blood cholesterol level. Foods that contain lots of saturated fat are the true culprits.
Now heres how to make nutritious choices to lower your blood cholesterol.
Keep eating simple
In the last 20 years, the rules on healthy eating have shifted. Super restrictive diets arent sustainable or the healthiest choice. Rather than zeroing in on a single nutrient, nutrition research shows the quality of your diet matters more. A diet filled with the right portions of whole, unprocessed foods can help decrease heart disease and stroke. What does that look like? For a healthy, balanced eating plan:
Cook at home
Each of these options will provide you with two grams:
- ½ ripe avocado
4.5/5rice puddingthecholesterol levelsin-depth answer
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Tolerability Of Red Yeast Rice Products
Two studies supported by NCCIH have indicated that some people who had been unable to tolerate statin drugs because of side effects were able to tolerate red yeast rice. It is uncertain whether the smaller amount of monacolin K in the red yeast rice products, as compared with the amounts of active ingredients in the drugs, accounted for the greater tolerability or whether other factors were responsible.
Alternatives To Red Yeast Rice
RYR is just one of many natural remedies touted as alternatives to cholesterol-lowering medications. Some research suggests that herbs like garlic and guggul may help curb cholesterol levels, as well.
There’s also evidence that drinking green tea on a regular basis, increasing your soy intake, getting your fill of omega-3 fatty acids, and consuming plant sterols may help manage cholesterol.
Like red yeast rice, these alternative remedies may also cause certain side effects. To protect against the potentially adverse effects of any type of dietary supplement, it’s important to use supplements safely.
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Who Should Buy Red Yeast Rice
Red yeast rice is great for individuals looking to improve their cholesterol profile by lowering bad LDL cholesterol. However, it can interact with a variety of medications, so its best to consult a doctor before taking it.
Red yeast rice is not appropriate for pregnant women and children due to the lack of studies surrounding these populations. People with kidney or liver disease should also avoid red yeast supplements as they may negatively affect these people.
If you have high blood pressure or are taking thyroid medication, you should avoid red yeast rice as it may alter the effects in the body. While red yeast rice is promising for a lot of treatments, it certainly needs more research to prove its efficacy.
Pure Naturals Red Yeast Rice Pure
Pure Naturals Red Yeast Rice Pure has the expected 600 mg dosage of red yeast rice, and a gelatin capsule with a few more binders and fillers than youd find in some of the top ranked supplements.
While pure is in the brand name, the company doesnt specifically mention any independent third-party testing for purity.
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What Is The Best Natural Supplement To Lower Cholesterol
Cholesterol-lowering supplements may be helpful Cholesterol-improving supplement What it might do Fish oil May reduce triglycerides Flaxseed, ground May reduce LDL cholesterol Garlic May slightly reduce cholesterol but studies have been conflicting Green tea or green tea extract May lower LDL cholesterol.
Red Yeast Rice And Cholesterol
Red yeast rice or its supplements are very common when it comes to lowering the levels of cholesterol in your body.
The chemical known as monascuspurpureus is known for naturally controlling cholesterol in your body. It stops the enzyme which is responsible for the production of cholesterol.
There are a lot of positive studies that show that red yeast rice is effective in lowering cholesterols in your body in a healthy and effective manner.
It is especially great for people who cant tolerate other medications or cholesterol-lowering drugs.
Other than lowering cholesterol, there are other benefits of red yeast rice as well.
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Using Red Yeast Rice Extract Instead Of Prescription Statins
Dr. Hazen states, When I have a patient who is adamant about not wishing to take an FDA-cleared drug, but is agreeable to taking a “natural” intervention to lower LDL cholesterol, I have, on these rare occasions, used red yeast rice extract and monitored the patient for side effects and ordered liver function tests. In general, when a patient takes a large amount of supplements, I also recommend getting a complete blood cell count with differential to check for eosinophilia higher than the normal level of a type of white blood cells called eosinophils or other abnormalities. If there is a significant jump in eosinophils, I recommend that the patient stops taking the supplements.”
Can You Take Red Yeast Rice With Blood Pressure Medication
Taking red yeast with prescription blood pressure-lowering drugs does not seem to enhance the effects of the drugs in people with high blood pressure. Some research suggests that taking red yeast along with the blood pressure-lowering drug valsartan may reduce a measure of heart damage caused by high blood pressure.
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What Is The Composition Of Hypocol And Cholestin
At one time, Cholestin contained red yeast rice, and at that time scientists at Pharmanex and the UCLA Center for Human Nutrition analyzed the properties Cholestin. The composition by weight is:
- starch ,
- trace amounts of calcium, iron, magnesium, and copper.
There are no additives, preservatives, heavy metals, or toxic substances, such as citrinic acid.
In 1977, Professor Endo in Japan discovered a natural cholesterol-lowering substance that is produced by a strain of Monascus yeast. This substance inhibits HMG-CoA reductase, an enzyme that is important for the production of cholesterol in the body. Professor Endo named this substance moncacolin K. Since then, scientists have discovered a total of eight monacolin-like substances that have cholesterol-lowering properties.
Monacolin K is lovastatin, the active ingredient in the popular statin drug, lovastatin , which is used for lowering cholesterol. Lovastatin also is believed to be the main cholesterol-lowering ingredient in HypoCol. The lovastatin in Mevacor is highly purified and concentrated, the lovastatin in HypoCol is not. Thus, they contain much lower concentrations of lovastatin than Mevacor. For example, each 600-mg capsule of Cholestin contains less than 2.4 mg of lovastatin , whereas tablets of Mevacor contain 10 mg or more of this ingredient.
Studies Showing The Benefits Of Red Yeast Rice Extract
Studies in the United States have shown that high doses of red yeast rice extract can reduce your total cholesterol level as much as 20-25%, although usually less.
The effects of red yeast rice extract were also tested in China in a study that included almost 5,000 patients. All patients had coronary artery disease , and the study looked at how many people had a major cardiovascular event, like a heart attack, or died from CAD. Patients were randomly chosen to take at least 600 mg of red yeast rice extract twice a day or a placebo. Patients took part in the trial for an average of 5 years. The study showed that patients who took red yeast rice were 30-33% less likely to die from CAD or any other cause. They were also about a third less likely to need revascularization, such as angioplasty.
Stanley Hazen, MD, PhD, Section Head of Preventive Cardiology & Rehabilitation at Cleveland Clinic, says, To my knowledge, this trial is the only one of its kind monitoring hard outcomes like heart attack, stroke and death risk in a randomized trial with red yeast rice extract. For this reason, the study is significant. However, the fact that the study only involved Chinese patients makes it difficult to know if the results would be the same for people of other races and cultures who eat a different diet than the Chinese.”
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Plant Stanols To Lower Cholesterol Levels
Dr. Hazen recommends plant stanols as another nonprescription way to help lower LDL cholesterol levels. Unlike statins and red yeast rice extract, which prevent the body from making cholesterol, plant stanols keep the body from absorbing cholesterol. In one study, plant stanols , helped reduce LDL levels by 15-18%. However, a typical range is 4-14%.
What Should I Avoid While Taking Red Yeast Rice
Avoid drinking alcohol. It may increase your risk of liver damage while you are taking red yeast rice.
Avoid using red yeast rice together with other herbal/health supplements that can harm your liver, such androstenedione, chaparral, comfrey, DHEA, germander, kava, niacin, pennyroyal oil, and others.
Grapefruit may interact with red yeast rice and lead to unwanted side effects. Avoid the use of grapefruit products.
Avoid taking an herbal supplement containing St. John’s wort at the same time you are taking red yeast rice.
Avoid using red yeast rice together with another herbal/health supplement that contains coenzyme Q10 .
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What Are The Risks Of Taking Red Yeast Rice
- Side effects. Red yeast rice side effects are usually mild. It might cause headaches and upset stomach. Not much is known about the long-term safety of red yeast rice. Since red yeast rice contains naturally occurring components which are very similar to statin medications, the same side effects may occur, including but not limited to muscle pain and liver injury.
- Interactions. Do not take red yeast rice if you are using statins, drugs that suppress the immune system, antifungal drugs, certain antibiotics, or protease inhibitors . People taking red yeast rice should avoid grapefruits. Also, alcohol may increase the risk of liver damage from red yeast rice. Check with your doctor or pharmacist first if you are taking any other prescription medicines or over the counter medicines or supplements.
- Risks. People with liver disease, kidney disease, and allergies to fungus or yeast should not use red yeast rice. People with very high cholesterol, diabetes, or a high risk of heart attack or stroke may need a more powerful prescription drug like a statin instead of red yeast rice.
Given the lack of evidence about its safety, red yeast rice is not recommended for children or for women who are pregnant or breastfeeding.
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