About Red Rice Yeast
Known scientifically as Monascus purpureus, red rice yeast produces the main ingredient in a powerful and widely prescribed cholesterol medication. A growing number of studies support the use of red rice yeast by itself, though the natural supplement is not devoid of risks.
Uses
Red rice yeast lowers cholesterol. It may also help improve blood flow in people with partially blocked arteries and help people with diabetes manage their disease, but clinical evidence for these two uses is weak. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has not approved any uses for red rice yeast.
Evidence for Lowering Cholesterol
Red rice yeast contains biologically active chemicals called monacolins that bind with and remove cholesterol circulating in the blood. Pharmaceutical companies have commercialized monacolin K as the drug lovastatin (e.g., Mevacor from Merck), and a substantial body of clinical research supports the effectiveness of red rice yeast by itself for lowering cholesterol. A group of California researchers led by David Heber reported in the February 1999 American Journal of Clinical Nutrition that, compared with a placebo, a commercially available red rice yeast supplement significantly lowered cholesterol. Much more recently, on June 16, 2009, the editors of the Annals of Internal Medicine summarized a study that showed patients who had stopped taking prescription cholesterol medications because of side effects realized adequate therapeutic benefits and fewer problems when they switched to a red rice yeast supplement.
Dosing
During clinical studies, patients have received the most benefits from taking between 1,200 mg and 1,800 mg of red rice yeast powder twice each day with food.
Precautions
Because red rice yeast produces many of the effects of cholesterol-lowering and anticlotting medications, the Mayo Clinic recommends that patients follow the precautions for those prescriptions when taking red rice supplements. This means you should not use red rice yeast when you are pregnant or breastfeeding or if you have impaired liver function. Also, you should use red rice yeast very carefully if you have experienced bleeding problems. Potential, though not well-documented, possible side effects from red rice yeast include asthma, gassiness, kidney problems and muscle pain.
Products
The federal Dietary Supplement Labels Database lists two products that contain red rice yeast as their primary ingredient. Nature's Bounty sells capsules containing only 600 mg of powdered red rice yeast, while Puritan's Pride CoQ-10 Plus Red Rice Yeast contains 600 mg of the yeast and 60 mg of the enzyme in a soft gel formulation. Neither of these products present specific information on the purported health benefits of taking red rice yeast supplements. Both products' labels state only that red rice yeast has featured in "the traditional Chinese diet for centuries."
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