Lipid-Lowering Efficacy of Red Yeast Rice in a Population Intolerant to Statins
February 25th, 2010 Posted by: admin
Publication year: 2010
Source: The American Journal of Cardiology, Volume 105, Issue 5, 1 March 2010, Pages 664-666
Carmelo V., Venero , Jose V., Venero , Dale C., Wortham , Paul D., Thompson
Chinese red yeast rice is a dietary supplement containing monacolins, unsaturated fatty acids, and phytosterols capable of lowering low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol. Few studies have reported on its use in clinical practice or in statin-intolerant patients. We reviewed approximately 1,400 clinical charts and identified 25 patients treated with red yeast rice for ≥4 weeks. The patients were included if they had pre- and post-treatment lipid levels without simultaneous changes in other lipid-lowering medications. These patients had experienced myalgias (68%), gastrointestinal intolerance (16%), and/or elevated alanine aminotransferase levels (8%) with previous use of other lipid-lowering agents. The total cholesterol decreased 15%…
