Red Yeast Rice

Overall Health Benefits of Red Yeast Rice

• Lowers blood cholesterol levels [1-23]
• Improves cardiovascular health [23-36]
• Prevents obesity [37-40]
• Lowers blood pressure [41-42]
• Improves liver health [43-44]
• Prevents cancer [46-49]
• Prevents muscle fatigue [50]
• Improves blood circulation [51-52]
• Promotes bone formation [53-56]

What is Red Yeast Rice?

Red yeast rice is also known by the names red rice koji, red fermented rice, red kojic rice, red koji rice, anka, or angkak. It is a bright, reddish-purple fermented rice that acquires its color from being cultivated with the mold Monascus purpureus. This species of mold is used commercially in the production of blood cholesterol-lowering statins.

Extract from red yeast rice has been used in China and other Asian countries as traditional medicine. It naturally contains several ingredients that help in controlling cholesterol levels. These include a number of monacolins, most importantly monacolin K.

How Red Yeast Rice Works?

Red yeast rice naturally contains monacolin K, which is a secondary metabolite of the Monascus species that can inhibit cholesterol synthesis. It is chemically identical to the active ingredient of the cholesterol-lowering drug lovastatin. Red yeast rice inhibits the action of an enzyme in your body that helps produce cholesterol known as HMG-CoA reductase. This in turn helps keep cholesterol levels within the normal range. The mechanism of action of red yeast rice is similar to how statins (drugs that lower cholesterol levels) work.

Chemical Structure of Red Yeast Rice

Research on Red Yeast Rice

Lowers Blood Cholesterol Levels

By inhibiting the action of an enzyme in your body that helps produce cholesterol known as HMG-CoA reductase, red yeast rice lowers blood cholesterol levels. This beneficial effect is backed by a number of high-quality studies:

1. A study showed that the extract of red yeast rice is the most effective cholesterol-lowering nutraceutical currently available on the market. [1]
2. A review of studies showed that red yeast rice administration in adults resulted in a significant reduction in low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol level or also known as bad cholesterol. [2]
3. A review of studies showed that red yeast rice is an effective and safe approach to treating dyslipidemia (abnormal cholesterol levels). [3]
4. A study showed that monacolin K found in red yeast rice is safe and effective in managing mild to moderate hypercholesterolemia (elevated cholesterol) with no additional cardiovascular risk factors. [4]
5. In Japanese patients with mild dyslipidemia, red yeast rice administration for 8 weeks resulted in a significant reduction in LDL cholesterol, total cholesterol, apolipoprotein B, and blood pressure without any recognized adverse effect. [5]
6. In physicians, red yeast rice formulation was successful in lowering cholesterol and LDL cholesterol levels. [6]
7. In healthy patients with hyperlipidemia (elevated lipids or blood fat), red yeast rice was successful in reducing total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, and total triacylglycerol concentrations. [7]
8. In patients intolerant to statins, red yeast rice administration resulted in reduced total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol levels. [8]
9. In patients with dyslipidemia and a history of discontinuation of statin therapy due to myalgias (muscle pain), red yeast rice and therapeutic lifestyle decreased LDL cholesterol levels. [9]
10. A review of studies showed a clinically and statistically significant reduction of LDL cholesterol associated with red yeast rice. [10]
11. A review of studies showed that red yeast rice was effective in lowering LDL cholesterol and total cholesterol levels in subjects with elevated cholesterol. [11]
12. A study showed that red yeast rice seems to be tolerable and safe in subjects with mild elevations in cholesterol levels. [12]
13. In Caucasian patients, red yeast rice products demonstrated a significant cholesterol-lowering effect compared to placebo. [13]
14. A study showed that the combination of red yeast rice and berberine may have the potential to lower LDL cholesterol compared with those achieved with prescription statin therapy but without the association of risks such as muscle damage and diabetes. [14]
15. A review of studies showed that red yeast rice is an effective and relatively safe approach for dyslipidemia. [15]
16. A study showed that red yeast rice can be beneficial in lowering blood cholesterol levels. [16]
17. In healthy Italian subjects with mild hypercholesterolemia, red yeast rice appears to safely reduce cholesterol levels. [17]
18. A review of studies showed that red yeast rice and simvastatin offer similar lipid-lowering effects in subjects with dyslipidemia. [18]
19. In patients with hyperlipidemia, red yeast rice was shown to be safe and effective in treating the condition. [19]
20. In myocardial infarction patients with borderline hypercholesterolemia, red yeast rice extract was associated with improved cardiovascular outcomes and lipid profiles. [20]
21. In mice, red yeast rice administration resulted in a significant reduction in levels of total cholesterol, triglyceride, LDL cholesterol, lipoprotein (a), and apolipoprotein B100. [21]
22. In patients with coronary heart disease who are unwilling or unable to fast, red yeast rice extract was useful in controlling the cholesterol levels of the subjects. [22]
23. In statin-intolerant patients with or without type 2 diabetes, a combined Mediterranean diet and red yeast rice administration resulted in improvement in LDL cholesterol levels. [23]

Improves Cardiovascular Health

Studies show that red yeast rice can help improve heart health due to its lipid/cholesterol-lowering effects:

1. In cholesterol-fed rabbits with atherosclerosis (plaque formation within the heart arteries), red yeast rice treatment resulted in a significant reduction in the severity of the condition. [24]
2. A study showed that because red yeast rice plays a vital role in the improvement of endothelial reactivity and cardiovascular protection, it may be important in the prevention and treatment of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD). [25]
3. A review of studies showed that red yeast rice reduced mortality rate, major adverse cardiovascular events, and risks of metabolic syndrome. [26]
4. In metabolic syndrome patients, combined red yeast rice and olive extract improved lipid profile and cardiovascular risk associated with metabolic syndrome. [27]
5. A study showed that therapy with red yeast rice extract is associated with a reduction in coronary heart disease (CHD) mortality and myocardial infarction (MI). [28]
6. In MI patients with borderline hypercholesterolemia, red yeast rice extract treatment was associated with improved cardiovascular outcomes and lipid profiles. [29]
7. In patients with low to moderate cardiovascular risk and dyslipidemia, treatment with nutraceutical compound (NC) containing red yeast rice extract resulted in improved endothelial function and lipid profile. [30]
8. In patients with mild and moderate hypercholesterolemia, red yeast rice products and Armolipid may be used as an adjunct to diet therapy in the primary prevention of cardiovascular diseases. [31]
9. A study showed that red yeast rice administration was associated with a significant reduction in nonfatal myocardial infarction and coronary death. [32]
10. A study showed that red yeast rice was associated with an improved risk of major adverse cardiovascular events and overall survival in patients following myocardial infarction. [33]
11. In patients in primary cardiovascular prevention and low cardiovascular risk, treatment with a nutraceutical combination containing BB536 and red yeast rice extract was well-tolerated and significantly improved lipid profile. [34]
12. In coronary heart disease patients, red yeast rice extract treatment was safe and effective in reducing cardiovascular events. [35]
13. A study showed that natural nutraceuticals (PN) containing red yeast, policosanol, and berberine combined with diet might play a role in coronary heart disease prevention. [36]

Prevents Obesity

Evidence also suggests that red yeast rice may help prevent obesity by promoting fat loss:

1. In mice fed with a high-fat diet, red yeast rice was shown to prevent weight gain. [37]
2. In mice, red yeast rice was effective against obesity-related inflammation, insulin resistance, and nonalcoholic fatty liver disease. [38]
3. A study showed that red yeast rice may be beneficial in the prevention and treatment of metabolic diseases that might lead to obesity. [39]
4. A study showed that red yeast rice is a potential treatment for obesity and cardiovascular-related diseases in hyperlipidemia patients. [40]

Lowers Blood Pressure

The blood pressure-lowering effects of red yeast rice are backed by a number of studies:

1. In Japanese patients with mild dyslipidemia, red yeast rice administration resulted in reduced blood pressure, LDL cholesterol, total cholesterol, and apolipoprotein B. [41]
2. A review of studies showed that red yeast rice might offer blood pressure-lowering effects in hypertensive patients. [42]

Improves Liver Health

Studies also show that the cholesterol/lipid-reducing effects of red yeast rice may offer protection against liver disease:

1. In mice fed with a high-fat diet, red yeast rice offered ameliorative effects against high-fat diet-induced nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) by inhibiting lipid synthesis and liver inflammation. [43]
2. In mice, red yeast rice was shown to ameliorate alcoholic liver disease (ALD) by regulating lipid metabolism. [44]

Prevents Cancer

Strong scientific evidence supports the anti-cancer properties of red yeast rice:

1. A study showed that red yeast rice may play a role in inhibiting colon cancer growth. [45-46]
2. A study found that red yeast rice can inhibit androgen-dependent and independent prostate cancer growth. [47]
3. A study showed that red yeast rice produced anti-cancer effects by inducing the death of cancer cells. [48]
4. In mice, red yeast rice inhibited the growth of prostate tumors. [49]

Prevents Muscle Fatigue

Red yeast rice can also help prevent muscle fatigue compared to other cholesterol-lowering medications:

1. In patients with abnormal lipid levels, red yeast rice induced less muscle fatigue and showed comparable lipid-lowering effects compared to simvastatin. [50]

Improves Blood Circulation

The ability of red yeast rice to lower cholesterol, lipid, and triglyceride (blood fat) levels has been shown to improve blood circulation according to studies:

1. In patients with elevated lipid levels (hyperlipidemia), red yeast rice was shown to improve blood circulation by decreasing cholesterol and triglyceride levels. [51]
2. In rats with hyperlipidemia, red yeast rice resulted in significant improvement in blood circulation. [52]

Promotes Bone Formation

Red yeast rice has also been shown to stimulate bone formation in animal models:

1. A review of studies showed that red yeast rice promoted bone formation in experimental animals. [53]
2. In rats that had surgical removal of the ovaries, red yeast rice extract offered protective effects against osteoporosis. [54]
3. A study showed that red yeast rice promoted new bone formation in animal models of bone defects. [55]
4. In rats, supplementation with red yeast rice strains that contained a natural form of lovastatin stimulated bone formation. [56]

Associated Side Effects of Red Yeast Rice

Red yeast rice side effects are very uncommon. There have been some side effects associated with the use of this traditional medicine wherein the patient had one of the issues listed below at some point while being on red yeast rice. However, these side effects weren’t confirmed to be associated with the treatment and could have been a coincidence and not related to the use of red yeast rice. Despite this, it was listed as a side effect associated with red yeast rice even though these associated side effects are very uncommon.

Side effects associated with red yeast rice may include the following:

• Abdominal bloating
• Dizziness
• Fatigue
• Gas
• Headache
• Heartburn
• Muscle pain
• Stomachache

References

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