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% (−37 ± 26 mg/dl, p <0.001)
and LDL cholesterol decreased 21% (−35 ± 25 mg/dl, p <0.001) during 74 ± 39 days of
treatment. Most (92%) patients tolerated the treatment, and many (56%) achieved their
LDL cholesterol goal. In patients unable to tolerate daily statin use, the total cholesterol
level decreased 13% (−33 ± 10 mg/dl, p <0.001) and LDL cholesterol decreased 19% (−31
± 4 mg/dl, p <0.001). In conclusion, red yeast rice modestly decreased total and LDL
cholesterol, was well-tolerated, and was an acceptable alternative in patients intolerant
of other lipid-lowering medications.
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Article info
Publication history
Accepted:
October 13,
2009
Received in revised form:
October 13,
2009
Received:
August 4,
2009
Footnotes
Dr. Wortham is on the Speaker's Bureau of Novartis (East Hanover, New Jersey), Sanofi Aventis (Bridgewater, New Jersey); Dr. Thompson has received grant/research support from Merck (West Point, Pennsylvania), Pfizer (New York, New York), Astra Zeneca (Wilmington, Delaware), B. Braun (Bethlehem, Pennsylvania), GlaxoSmithKline (Research Triangle Pk, North Carolina), Roche (Nutley, New Jersey), and Genomas (Hartford, Connecticut); has been a Consultant to Astra Zeneca, Merck, Schering-Plough (Liberty Corner, New Jersey), Takeda (Deerfield, Illinois), Roche, Genomas, and Abbott (North Chicago, Illinois); has been on the Speaker's Bureau for Merck, Pfizer, Abbott, Astra Zeneca, Schering-Plough, Stock; and has been a shareholder in Zoll (Chelmsford, Massachusetts), General Electric (Fairfield, Connecticut), JA Wiley Publishing (StreetHoboken, New Jersey), Zimmer (West Center Street Warsaw, Indiana), Medtronic (Minneapolis, Minnesota), and Merck. Work performed at the Cholesterol Management Center, Henry Low Heart Center, Hartford Hospital, Hartford, Connecticut.
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© 2010 Elsevier Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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- All Red Yeast Rice Products Are Not Created Equal—or LegalAmerican Journal of CardiologyVol. 106Issue 3
- PreviewThe American Journal of Cardiology recently published a reported titled “Lipid-Lowering Efficacy of Red Yeast Rice in a Population Intolerant to Statins.”1 The investigators reported that 25 patients with known histories of intolerance to statin drugs, when treated with red yeast rice, averaged a 21% decrease in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, with few side effects. In this uncontrolled study, patients were allowed to purchase their own choices of red yeast rice products, and their selections were not reported.
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