Red yeast rice is a traditional
Chinese medicine that has been purported to lower cholesterol. Several
types of the extract are sold as supplements.
Red yeast rice may be appealing
because it’s “natural,” but you need to be careful. Experts have not
studied it extensively. The ideal dosing and long-term safety are
unclear. It could be dangerous for some people. And because the
ingredients of different brands of red yeast rice extract might vary so
much, it’s hard to make firm statements about its effectiveness or
safety.
What Is Red Yeast Rice (Monascus)?
Red yeast rice is a substance that’s extracted from rice that’s been fermented with a type of yeast called Monascus purpureus.
It’s been used in China and other Asian countries for centuries as a
traditional medicine. It’s also used as a food coloring, additive, and
preservative.
Red yeast rice naturally 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.”Is Red Yeast Rice a Drug or a Supplement?
Confusingly, the answer is both. One of the most important ingredients in red yeast rice is monacolin K. It’s also known as lovastatin, the active ingredient in the prescription drug Mevacor.
So on one hand, red yeast
rice 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 contains a
substance classified as a prescription drug, the FDA has attempted to
control its sale. In 2007, the FDA asked that three red yeast rice
products — Cholestrix by Sunburst Organics and two red yeast rice
formulations by Swanson Healthcare Products (Red Yeast Rice and Red
Yeast Rice/Policosonal Complex) — be withdrawn from the market because
they contained lovastatin. 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 the Internet.
How Well Does Red Yeast Rice Lower Cholesterol?
Studies have shown that red
yeast rice can significantly lower levels of total cholesterol and
specifically LDL, or “bad” cholesterol. One showed that taking 2.4 grams
per day of red yeast rice reduced LDL levels by 22% and total
cholesterol by 16% in 12 weeks. Another study showed that taking 1.2
grams per day lowered LDL levels by 26% in just eight weeks.
However, the studies of red
yeast rice have so far been fairly small and didn’t last long enough to
reveal the long-term effects.
What should I discuss with my healthcare provider before taking Red Yeast Rice (Monascus purpureus)?
Do not take red yeast rice if you are allergic to it, or if you have a history of liver disease.
Before taking red yeast rice, talk to your
doctor, pharmacist, herbalist, or other healthcare provider. You may not
be able to use this product if you have:
- asthma
- kidney disease
- a serious infection, disease, or medical condition
- if you are pregnant
- if you have recently had surgery or an organ transplant; or
- if you drink more than 2 alcoholic beverages per day
Some cholesterol-lowering medications can
cause a condition that results in the breakdown of skeletal muscle
tissue, leading to kidney failure. Call a doctor at once if you have
unexplained muscle pain or tenderness, muscle weakness, fever or flu
symptoms, and dark colored urine.
Do not take red yeast rice without telling
your doctor if you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant during
treatment. Red yeast rice may be harmful to an unborn baby.
It is not known whether red yeast rice passes
into breast milk or if it could harm a nursing baby. Do not use this
product without telling your doctor if you are breast-feeding a baby.
Do not give any herbal/health supplement to a child without the advice of a doctor.
Monascus purpureus mold or fungus, review of research studies, cholesterol drug combination
March 2 2014: Monascus purpureus
is a species of mold that is purplish-red in color used to make red
yeast rice and certain fermented foods in China and Japan. In Asian
countries, red yeast rice is a dietary staple and is used to make rice
wine, as a flavoring agent, and to preserve the flavor and color of fish
and meat. There are other species of monascus, including monascus pilosus.
Composition of red yeast rice
Red yeast rice is a fermented product of rice on which red yeast Monascus purpureus has been grown. Red
Yeast Rice contains several compounds collectively known as monacolins
which block the formation of cholesterol. One of these compounds is
called monacolin K. It inhibits HMG-CoA reductase and is also known as
mevinolin or lovastatin. The product name for lovastatin is Mevacor, a
prescription drug manufactured by Merck and Co..
Monascus purpureus fermented rice and prostate cancer cells
Chinese red yeast rice versus lovastatin effects on prostate cancer cells with and without androgen receptor overexpression.
J Med Food. 2008: Chinese red yeast rice, a food herb made by fermenting Monascus purpureus Went yeast on white rice, contains a mixture of eight different monacolins that inhibit cholesterol formation and also red pigments with antioxidant properties. Monacolin K is identical to lovastatin. Both lovastatin and red yeast rice contain statins, which could inhibit de novo cholesterol formation, which is critical to the growth of tumor cells. Our results suggest that the red yeast rice matrix beyond monacolin alone may be bioactive in inhibiting androgen-dependent and -independent prostate cancer growth. In vivo studies are needed to further establish the potential advantages of red yeast rice over lovastatin in prostate cancer chemoprevention and in the prevention of the emergence of androgen independence.
J Med Food. 2008: Chinese red yeast rice, a food herb made by fermenting Monascus purpureus Went yeast on white rice, contains a mixture of eight different monacolins that inhibit cholesterol formation and also red pigments with antioxidant properties. Monacolin K is identical to lovastatin. Both lovastatin and red yeast rice contain statins, which could inhibit de novo cholesterol formation, which is critical to the growth of tumor cells. Our results suggest that the red yeast rice matrix beyond monacolin alone may be bioactive in inhibiting androgen-dependent and -independent prostate cancer growth. In vivo studies are needed to further establish the potential advantages of red yeast rice over lovastatin in prostate cancer chemoprevention and in the prevention of the emergence of androgen independence.
Monascus purpureus fermented rice and bone health
Chinese red yeast rice (Monascus purpureus fermented rice) promotes bone formation.
Chin Med. 2008. Statin can induce the gene expression of bone morphogenetic protein-2. Red yeast rice (Hongqu), i.e. rice fermented with Monascus purpureus, contains a natural form of statin. This study demonstrates the effects of Red yeast rice extract on bone formation. Red yeast rice extract stimulated new bone formation in bone defects in vivo and increased bone cell formation in vitro.
Chin Med. 2008. Statin can induce the gene expression of bone morphogenetic protein-2. Red yeast rice (Hongqu), i.e. rice fermented with Monascus purpureus, contains a natural form of statin. This study demonstrates the effects of Red yeast rice extract on bone formation. Red yeast rice extract stimulated new bone formation in bone defects in vivo and increased bone cell formation in vitro.
Isolation and Structural Characterization of Two New Metabolites from Monascus.
J Agric Food Chem. 2009.: Two
new pale yellow metabolites have been isolated from commercially
available Chinese food additive Red Monascus Pigment and from Monascus
ruber culture broth. They were isolated by successive TLC and
semipreparative HPLC. Their structural characterization was elucidated
by a variety of spectroscopic techniques and mass spectrometry. These
two new metabolites present numerous similarities with monascorubrin and
rubropunctatin. The new compounds, named monarubrin and rubropunctin,
contain a propenyl group on a pyrone ring, an alkyl side chain, but no
gamma-lactone ring. The new metabolites have the property of producing
strong blue fluorescence at 340 nm.
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