Reinventing the Fountain of Youth
Red Yeast Rice: A safer alternative to expensive cholesterol-lowering drugs.
What is it?
The red-colored yeast Monascus purpureus is a traditional Chinese food coloring and herbal remedy. It has been used medicinally in China for at least several hundred years and has been a food ingredient for about 2000 years. The yeast is grown on wet white rice, which becomes permeated with the colored yeast. Red yeast rice (RYR) is a dietary staple in many Asian countries and may account for the low level of cardiovascular disease found in these countries.
Modern RYR supplements are extracts of Red Yeast Rice – unneeded starches and gums have been removed to make the powdered product more potent, less perishable, and easily dosed.
How it works. RYR affects cardiovascular disease because it:
- inhibits the body’s synthesis of cholesterol
- inhibits the body’s production of C-Reactive Protein
Compounds called ‘monacolins’ in the dried yeast inhibit an enzyme that makes cholesterol in the body. These inhibitors are similar in chemical structure to the expensive ‘statin’ drugs that are sold as remedies for high cholesterol. In addition, the red yeast contains a variety of other medically active compounds, including flavonoids and sterols, that contribute to the yeast’s cholesterol-regulating activity.
The monacolins in RYR also suppress the body’s production of C-Reactive Protein (CRP) – a protein involved in inflammation. Inflammation is considered to be the primary process that causes plaques to develop in arteries. By suppressing CRP, red yeast rice suppresses the inflammation responsible for atherosclerosis.
The efficacy of RYR.
Ten or more clinical studies of RYR have been performed; all have shown that RYR supplementation brings about significant reductions in LDL cholesterol and triglycerides – reductions of at least 30% in patients with high lipid levels. Animal experiments have shown that RYR can actually shrink atherosclerotic plaques in arteries.
Recent studies have convinced researchers that RYR is at least as effective as statin drugs, while causing far fewer side effects. Why should this be? The lack of side effects is explained by the fact that prescription statin drugs contain a large amount of a single compound, whereas RYR supplements contain only small amounts of several compounds; consequently RYR users typically experience no side effects from any compound. As for efficacy: the various compounds provided by RYR, working together, dramatically enhance each others effectiveness.
Cost comparison.
The expensive way to lower the body’s LDL cholesterol levels is to use brand-name ‘statin’ drugs. Typical prices for the six prescription statins currently on the market in the U.S. are: Lipitor® $78/month * Lescol® $64/month * Mevacor® $60/month * Pravachol® $95/month * Zocor® $83/month * Crestor® $91/month. Compare that with LifeLink’s Red Rice Yeast Extract, which costs about $17/month.
For a more detailed discussion of RYR and the medical studies that support its use, see the articles at:
http://www.ilifelink.com/red_rice_yeast_600_mg_x_120_capsules.html
