MedHead Message:
Red Yeast Rice is probably the most studied natural supplement for cholesterol. It can modestly reduce cholesterol levels but has not been studied to actually save you from a heart attack like the statin medications prescribed by your doctor. The dose is 2-3 grams of the supplement daily in order to be effective. That’s a lot of capsules, by the way. 😉
References:
Heber D, Yip I, Ashley JM, et al. Cholesterol-lowering effects of a proprietary Chinese red-yeast-rice dietary supplement. Am J Clin Nutr. 1999;69:231-236 Lin CC, Li TC, Lai MM, et al. Efficacy and safety of Monascus purpureus Went rice in subjects with hyperlipidemia. Eur J Endocrinol. 2005;153:679-686 Hallikainen MA, Sarkkinen ES, Gylling H, et al. Comparison of the effects of plant sterol ester and plant stanol ester-enriched margarine in lowering serum cholesterol concentrations in hypercholesterolaemic subjects on a low-fat diet. Eur J Clin Nutr 2000;54:715-25 Bogsrud, M. P., Ose, L., Langslet, G., Ottestad, I., Strom, E. C., Hagve, T. A., and Retterstol, K. HypoCol (red yeast rice) lowers plasma cholesterol – a randomized placebo-controlled study. Scand.Cardiovasc.J. 2010;44(4):197-200
