A lot of people have been asking me about using Red Yeast Rice (RYR) to help lower their cholesterol. In the last 7-8 years, the consumption of RYR has grown substantially as Americans try to control their cholesterol levels. But what is Red Yeast Rice?
RYR is the fermented product of rice on which red yeast has been grown. This supplement contains a compound called lovastatin, among other things, which has been shown to work in the body to stop the production of cholesterol in the liver. Shown to have the same action in the body as many of today’s Statin drugs, it is no wonder why RYR has been shown to be so effective in lowering cholesterol. UCLA did a 12-week study in 1999, where subjects were given either 2.4 grams of RYR, or a placebo pill. All of the subjects were counseled to follow the American Heart Association’s guide to caloric intake, and cholesterol levels were checked at the start and end of the trial. The group who took the RYR had a substantial decrease in their cholesterol levels when compared to the placebo group, and no major side effects were noted in that study.
Some studies have tested RYR with no diet modifications, and even eating a poor diet in conjunction with a RYR supplement showed a decrease in cholesterol levels. Another study showed some good effects on the lipid levels as well with RYR supplements.
The only side effect that is starting to show up is a decrease in the Coenzyme Q10 levels. Co-Q10 is an enzyme that helps our B vitamins produce energy in the body. This same enzyme has been known to decrease in levels with prescription statin drugs, and it is starting to show similar effects in patients taking RYR. Supplements of Co-Q10 can be purchased to counteract this, but CoQ10 can be quite expensive. Co-Q10 levels were checked in a study with lab rats that had been given large quantities of RYR, and the research showed the largest diminish of Co-Q10 levels in the heart and liver of these animals.
As I have said in prior articles, it is best to control our cholesterol levels with slight modifications to our diet and improvements to our daily routines. When this is not enough, consulting a doctor is the safest means of managing our cholesterol levels. It is good to mention to your doctor that you are trying to make these corrections with as few a medications as possible, and see if he has any input on natural means. Many doctors today are prescribing fish oil, Red Yeast Rice, and other natural herbals as a means of reducing these unwanted elevated lipid levels in our blood. This mix of eastern and western medicine provides a new, novel, food-based approach to lowering cholesterol in the general population.