Red Yeast Rice

Red Rice Yeast is rice that has been fermented by the red yeast, Monascus purpureus. It has been used by the Chinese for many centuries as part of their diet as a food preservative, food colorant, spice, and ingredient in fine wine. Red Rice Yeast is an all-natural whole food powder made from dried fermented rice, with a remarkable ability to lower LDL-cholesterol levels with minimal side effects.  Additional studies indicate that Red Rice Yeast may also provide other cardiovascular benefits such as preventing of heart disease and balancing blood sugar levels.

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As a result, supplements containing Red Rice Yeast have basically disappeared from retail stores. And the original product, Cholestin, has been reformulated without Red Rice Yeast. It's likely, however, that sources of Red Rice Yeast may still remain available on the Internet. If the product does return to health-food stores in the future, it will probably be available only by a doctor's prescription.

Since 800 A.D., red yeast rice has been employed by the Chinese as both a food and a medicinal agent. Its therapeutic benefits as both a promoter of blood circulation and a digestive stimulant were first noted in the traditional Chinese pharmacopoeia, Ben Cao Gang Mu-Dan Shi Bu Yi, during the Ming Dynasty (1368–1644). Practitioners of Traditional Chinese Medicine use red yeast rice to treat abdominal pain due to stagnant blood and dysentery, as well as external and internal trauma. In addition to its therapeutic applications, red yeast rice has been used for centuries as a flavor enhancer, a food preservative, and a base for a Taiwanese alcoholic rice-wine beverage.

As a substance, Red Rice Yeast extract has a number of heart-healthy benefits: It seems to help reduce total cholesterol levels, lower levels of LDL ("bad") cholesterol, increase levels of HDL ("good") cholesterol, and lower levels of unhealthy fats called triglycerides.

Red Rice Yeast can be useful in the treatment of hypertension. Unsaturated fatty acids in Red Rice Yeast extract are also believed to be beneficial, possibly by lowering triglycerides.

Numerous well-respected studies have shown red rice yeast to be effective in lowering cholesterol and promoting blood circulation, there by lowering the risk of heart disease. Those taking red rice yeast should avoid grapefruit juice and grapefruit products. Just as with prescriptions drugs  used for lowering cholesterol. Both prescription statins’ and red rice yeast’s effectiveness are reduced by grapefruit.

The best way to achieve and maintain a healthy cholesterol level is to take heart-healthy substances such as Red Rice Yeast extract as part of an overall regimen that includes exercise and a low-fat diet that is high in soluble fiber. Most studies of the extract that showed a substantial cholesterol-lowering effect  included such lifestyle measures.

If you choose to incorporate Red Rice Yeast 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 Rice Yeast 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 Rice Yeast to be remarkably safe, but of course, you should not use it if you are also taking a prescription statin.

Don't mix Red Rice Yeast extract with other statin-type cholesterol-lowering medications, or you may risk consuming excessive amounts of particular ingredients. However, Red Rice Yeast can be safely combined with niacin supplements for additional cholesterol-lowering effects. Take Red Rice Yeast extract with food to reduce the risk of digestive upset. Studies indicate that Red Rice Yeast may also provide other cardiovascular benefits such as preventing heart disease and balancing blood sugar levels.