Red yeast rice is rice that is fermented in Monascus purpureus, a type of yeast. Asian healers and practitioners have used red yeast rice for centuries to aid in digestion and for improved blood circulation. In recent years, red yeast rice has been available in supplemental form and marketed as a natural aid in lowering cholesterol. It has also been the subject of studies and investigation by the Federal Drug Administration.
History
Documentation of the use of red yeast rice dates back to the Tang Dynasty in A.D. 800. It's included in a medical encyclopedia dating back to the Ming dynasty (1368-1644) as a cure for poor circulation. Red yeast rice was, and still is, also used as a spice in Asian cuisine. In 1977, one Dr. Endo of Japan discovered a naturally occurring substance within the Monascus yeast. He called the substance Moncacolin K. This compound is a lovastatin; lovastatin is the active ingredient used in the prescription medicines prescribed to lower cholesterol.
Time Frame
The Federal Drug Administration (FDA) does not regulate dietary supplements. Red yeast rice was sold as a supplement throughout the 1990s, but was also being marketed as a natural aid in lowering cholesterol. Indeed, red yeast rice does have that medicinal property because of the lovastatin that it contains. In 1999, though, the FDA announced that it would seek regulation of the supplement because lovastatin is a controlled substance.
Effects
In 2000, the 10th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled the FDA had authority to regulate red yeast rice. Red yeast rice started disappearing from the shelves of drug stores and supermarkets. Ultimately, the FDA's investigation resulted in manufacturers of red yeast rice reducing the amount of lovastatin in their products. Lovastatin became a trace element in over-the-counter red yeast rice supplements.
Benefits
Red yeast rice is still considered a natural aid in lowering cholesterol, and remains the subject of studies of its effectiveness. The results of a 2009 study performed in Flourtown, Pennsylvania, were published in the June 16 edition of the "Annals of Internal Medicine". The study included 62 people who could not tolerate the negative side-effects of prescription statins. Those given red yeast rice, in which the amount of lovastatin was strictly controlled, showed marked improvement in their cholesterol levels over those given placebos.
Considerations
So why did the FDA investigate and subsequently alter the amount of the active ingredient in red yeast rice that lowers cholesterol? The side-effects of prescription statins can be severe and in some cases fatal. Resulting muscle and joint pain can be severe. Kidney damage is a possibility. Other less severe side-effects include headaches, upset stomach and dizziness. These side-effects are the result of ingesting lovastatin, the same active ingredient in red yeast rice.
Warning
The red yeast rice found on supermarket shelves still has traces of the compound lovastatin, along with other statin-containing compounds. Red yeast rice seems to effective in lowering cholesterol, and you may be able to tolerate the lower dosages in the supplement, as opposed to the higher dosages in prescriptions.
You may also suffer the same side-effects as you would if you took a prescription statin. If your cholesterol levels are too high, red yeast rice may be the answer for you. But you should consult your physician before starting red yeast rice and monitor for side effects.
Tags: yeast rice, yeast rice, lowering cholesterol, active ingredient, natural lowering, natural lowering cholesterol, active ingredient yeast