Natural Medicines Newsletter

Volume 3, Issue 20, 05/24/2011

Question

Are there any outcome studies related to cardiovascular disease with the use of red yeast rice (Monascus purpureus) for its lipid lowering properties?

Answer

Red yeast rice is made from fermented rice containing the mold, Monascus purpureus and historically has been marketed in China for its medicinal properties and as a food preservative to maintain taste and color of meat and fish.  Other marketed names or brands include Cholestin and Xuezhikang.  As it relates to its medicinal properties, the most cited effect includes its ability to improve the lipid profile and even reduce the risk for cardiovascular events.(1-13)  This appears to be due to red yeast rice's ability to reduce the total cholesterol (TC), low density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C), triglycerides (TG) and possibly increase the high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C).1-10 For an explanation for how red yeast rice is able to improve the lipid profile, please review volume 2, issue 44 and volume 3 issue 4 in the Natural Medicines archives.

The enclosed table regarding data for the use of red yeast rice on cardiovascular outcomes reflects data all from...

There is a table provided in this newsletter publication summarizing the available data with cardiovascular outcomes with the use of red yeast rice. 

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