20th August 2004
http://www.wholehealthmd.com/refshelf/substances_view/1,1525,10054,00.html
"....If you choose to incorporate red yeast rice into your cholesterol-lowering program, it is very important to remember that you are taking a substance that acts identically in the body to the prescription statin drugs. This means that red yeast rice can cause the same side effects (mild gastrointestinal upset and possible changes in liver enzymes, or a muscle condition called rhabdomyolysis). Research studies have shown red yeast rice to be remarkably safe, but of course, you should not use it if you are also taking a prescription statin...."
http://www.wholehealthmd.com/refshelf/substances_view/1,1525,10054,00.html
"...If you've been waiting for solid scientific evidence before trying red yeast rice extract (original brand name, Cholestin) to lower your cholesterol, there's good news and bad news, as doctors like to say. The good news first. A rigorous trial from the UCLA School of Medicine, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 1999, confirmed that a supplement known as red yeast extract reduces cholesterol levels by an average of 40 points in 12 weeks when combined with a low-fat diet. That's about the same result you'd expect from a low dose of the popular cholesterol drug, Mevacor
Red yeast extract contains a number of cholesterol-lowering compounds known as statins, among them lovastatin, the same active ingredient that's in Mevacor. Other red yeast compounds are similar to those in other cholesterol medications, such as Lipitor (atorvastatin) and Zocor (simvastatin). Which brings us to the bad news. Because red yeast extract contains lovastatin, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has successfully banned red yeast rice from open store shelves, arguing that it's really a drug, needing a doctor's prescription. Therefore, red yeast rice can no longer be sold an unregulated supplement. Should it return to the market, it will require full FDA oversight, as do all other prescription drugs...."
"....If you choose to incorporate red yeast rice into your cholesterol-lowering program, it is very important to remember that you are taking a substance that acts identically in the body to the prescription statin drugs. This means that red yeast rice can cause the same side effects (mild gastrointestinal upset and possible changes in liver enzymes, or a muscle condition called rhabdomyolysis). Research studies have shown red yeast rice to be remarkably safe, but of course, you should not use it if you are also taking a prescription statin...."
http://www.wholehealthmd.com/refshelf/substances_view/1,1525,10054,00.html
"...If you've been waiting for solid scientific evidence before trying red yeast rice extract (original brand name, Cholestin) to lower your cholesterol, there's good news and bad news, as doctors like to say. The good news first. A rigorous trial from the UCLA School of Medicine, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 1999, confirmed that a supplement known as red yeast extract reduces cholesterol levels by an average of 40 points in 12 weeks when combined with a low-fat diet. That's about the same result you'd expect from a low dose of the popular cholesterol drug, Mevacor
Red yeast extract contains a number of cholesterol-lowering compounds known as statins, among them lovastatin, the same active ingredient that's in Mevacor. Other red yeast compounds are similar to those in other cholesterol medications, such as Lipitor (atorvastatin) and Zocor (simvastatin). Which brings us to the bad news. Because red yeast extract contains lovastatin, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has successfully banned red yeast rice from open store shelves, arguing that it's really a drug, needing a doctor's prescription. Therefore, red yeast rice can no longer be sold an unregulated supplement. Should it return to the market, it will require full FDA oversight, as do all other prescription drugs...."