Red Yeast Rice May Lower Cholesterol
JUNE 16, 2009
For some "statin-intolerant" patients, red yeast rice combined with a heart-healthy diet and exercise helped lower bad "LDL" cholesterol, concludes a small study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine. In the study, all of the patients received counseling on nutrition and exercise. Additionally, half of the participants also took 1,800 mg of red yeast rice supplements every day. After 12 weeks, those taking the supplements saw LDL, the "bad cholesterol," drop by a remarkable 27 percent. Those who did not take the red yeast rice supplements saw their LDL drop by only 6 percent. "I was pleasantly surprised with the degree of LDL lowering," said Daniel Rader, MD, director of preventive cardiology and the Lipid Clinic and an author of the study. "I have to confess, I did not expect this degree of LDL lowering. And there were many fewer side effects than expected." Steven Halbert, MD, MSCE, and Benjamin French, PhD, Assistant Professor of Biostatistics, and Senior Scholar, Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics were among the co-authors on the study. Coverage has appeared in the Philadelphia Inquirer, ABC World News Tonight, CNN.com, HealthDay News (posted by Forbes.com) and syndicated by Ivanhoe (picked up by Fox TV in Dayton).
