Expert: Todd Bublitz, RCEP - 6/23/2007

Question
Does red yeast rice lower LDL and overall cholesterol and is it safe; how long does it take to lower them on average, and how can I find an honest manufacturer that makes non-contaminated red yeast rice?

Answer
Elizabeth,

Red yeast rice may contain the ingredient “lovastatin” which is also the active ingredient in the prescription drug Mevacor.  Lovastatin is what lowers cholesterol levels.  It is illegal to sell lovastatin in the United States without a prescription.  Therefore, it should be illegal to buy red yeast rice that contains lovastatin over-the-counter in the U.S.  You can still buy red yeast rice in the U.S., but it will not contain the cholesterol lowering ingredient lovastatin.

Lowering cholesterol levels using “statin” medicines (lovastatin [Mevacor], pravastatin [Pravachol], simvastatin [Zocor], atorvastatin [Lipitor], etc) takes about 4-8 weeks.  We start people on a certain dose of the medication and then check the cholesterol levels in about 6 weeks.  If the cholesterol levels have not improved enough, we typically will increase the dose of the medicine and then check the cholesterol levels again in another 6 weeks…and so on.

All cholesterol lowering medicines have the risk of side-effects.  It does not matter if the “medicine” is by prescription or over-the-counter.  Any substance that alters your body’s chemistry or physiology is considered a “drug” and can cause side-effects.  The possibility of side-effects with statins increases with increasing in the doses.

“Dietary supplements” are not regulated by the FDA.  This means that there is really no way to know if your supplement is contaminated or not.  My advice would be to research the specific supplement and see if it has been evaluated by an independent lab to be not only free of contaminates, but that it actually contains what is listed on the label.  You should also look for the “UL” symbol on the bottle – this means that the product meets certain compliance levels with Underwriters Laboratories (http://www.ul.com/).  I would not trust ANY red yeast rice supplement in the U.S.A.

My advice would be that you visit your doctor, especially if you live in the U.S.  I don’t like people “self-medicating”.  Using certain proven supplements is great, if you are doing so under the supervision of a qualified physician.  Doing it yourself may leave you under-treated (and still at higher risk of cardiovascular disease) or at higher risk for side-effects.

Best of luck.

Todd
www.Lipid-Clinic.com