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 An Alternative to Lipitor, Crestor, Vytorin?

New study sheds light on an age-old remedy for cholesterol.


A new study revived the controversy of an old, but popular alternative remedy for the reduction of cholesterol: red yeast rice.

Used in Asia for over 1000 years, red yeast rice has been proposed in America for some people who can not tolerate the secondary effects of taking cholesterol-lowering drugs, known as statins. 

A new study of 62 people whom were given a commercially available red yeast rice product was reported recently in the Annals of Internal Medicine journal and the results showed a significant effect of the product to lower cholesterol. 

Half the group took the 1800 mg of the product twice daily in addition to undergoing lifestyle changes, nutrition and relaxation consultation while the other half took an inert substance (having no effect) in addition to lifestyle changes and consultation.

The group that took the red yeast rice averaged a 43 point drop in cholesterol in 12 weeks as opposed to only 11 point drop in the placebo group.

Red yeast rice is under a regulatory cloud at the FDA as it contains a natural statin, lovastatin which is used in the drug Mevacor.  The FDA has moved against some of the red yeast rice products in the US as it claims they are unlicensed pharmaceuticals.  (Go figure).  However, researchers claim that the dosages taken in the study were not of pharmaceutical level, which confounds them as to the results seen.

Researchers believe that there are compounds related to the lovastatin in red yeast rice that affect cholesterol production in the liver.

However, they are quick to advise against not taking the product without consulting one's physician first, as the products available to the public are not regulated and long-term effects of the product have been untested (to date) in high-quality scientific trials.  Therefore, researchers don't see a greater benefit in taking red yeast rice as opposed to taking prescription medicine for lowering cholesterol.

 

Source: newsday, medline database.

 


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