Does Red Yeast Rice Lower Cholesterol Safely?

Does red yeast rice (RYR) lower cholesterol? Is it aAll dietary supplements are regulated by the FDA
safe natural alternative to the commonly prescribedbased on the guidelines of the Dietary Supplement
cholesterol lowering drugs?Health Education Act (DSHEA) of 1994. Under
It has been used since the 7th century A.D. in ChinaDSHEA, supplement companies are responsible for
as both a food and medicinal nutrient. It has beendetermining that the nutritional supplements they
noted in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) as havingmanufacture are safe and that any claims made
the benefits as both a promoter of blood circulationabout them are substantiated by adequate evidence.
and a digestive stimulant.Although some critics argue that DSHEA is no
It is a by-product of cooked rice on which red yeastregulation or excessively lax regulation, it seems that
has been grown. The rice is then dried, powderednutritional supplements are generally safe enough that
and used medicinally.this legislation does what it's intended to do. Almost
Its effectiveness in lowering cholesterol is backed bynever do you hear of dietary supplements causing
reliable and consistent scientific data as well asextreme and/or dangerous side effects or death.
centuries of use in Traditional Chinese Medicine.The same cannot be said about the pharmaceutical
Based on a recent study, 62 people with highindustry, where drugs that have proven to be
cholesterol took red yeast rice daily for six months,dangerous are regularly recalled by the FDA and
and the other half of the study participants receivedpersonal injury law suits are common.
identical placebo capsules. They also made changes inAlthough acceptance in the mainstream medical
eating habits, exercise and other lifestylecommunity is slow, at this time, there is no solid
adjustments. After three months, the LDL (so-calledevidence that red yeast rice is unsafe. Although there
"bad" cholesterol) levels of those taking the activeis some variation in the quality of nutritional
supplements had declined 27%, compared to 6% insupplements, and under DSHEA, consumers are
the placebo group.responsible for locating high quality and safe
The participants in this study were unable to continuesupplements produced by firms that adhere to
treatment with prescription cholesterol loweringagreed upon good manufacturing practices (GMP).
drugs, due to adverse and possibly dangerous sideOf course, you may want to consult your health care
effects. There were no significant side effectsprovider before starting any supplementation
reported while using RYR.program or to have any questions or concerns
Is Red Yeast Rice Safe?addressed. Also, it's not recommended that you take
Those raising safety concerns say that since RYRred yeast rice if you're also taking prescription
contains natural statins similar in effect to cholesterolcholesterol lowering drugs.
lowering drugs, it's logical that it would have the sameAt this time, research and centuries of use in
risks. This argument is not valid because statins intraditional medicine show that the answer to the
prescription drugs have been chemically altered in aquestion, "does red yeast rice lower cholesterol
laboratory, whereas the statins in red yeast rice aresafely?" is "yes it does." If you have high cholesterol
naturally occurring.and are unable to take prescription drugs because of
Detractors often say that RYR is not regulated byside effects or you just want a safer, natural
the FDA and the supplements on the market vary inalternative, red yeast rice may be worth looking into.
quality and may not be safe.