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Healthy Cholesterol with
Red Yeast Rice
by Alexandra Greely,
as seen in The Doctor's Prescription for Healthy Living Magazine May 2005, pp 44-45
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 Probably every American adult has heard the dire warnings about elevated cholesterol levels
and how these can lead to heart disease. Yet more than 104 million of us have high levels, and of these, about
38 million face serious health problems because of dangerously high total cholesterol levels of 240 mg/dL or more,
reports the American Heart Association.
What Is Cholesterol?
Despite its bad reputation, we all need cholesterol-a natural waxy substance-for
many normal bodily functions. Produced primarily by the liver, cholesterol helps form cell membranes, aids in producing
bile acids to help digest fats, produces some hormones, and works in other important ways. Because cholesterol
and other fats can't dissolve in the blood, the cholesterol travels through the body in "packets" called
lipoproteins. The body uses only small amounts of cholesterol, and problems arise when the body can't flush out
the excess.
Divided into two categories, lipoproteins are known as LDL, or low-density
lipoproteins, and HDL, or high-density lipoproteins. Characterized as the "bad" type of cholesterol,
LDL is the primary transporter of cholesterol, and when the blood carries too much of it, LDL can build up on artery
walls in a complex process, forming a hard plaque deposit that leads to clogged arteries, which reduces blood flow
to the heart and may cause heart attacks. It can also reduce blood flow to the brain, leading to strokes.
HDL carries smaller amounts of cholesterol-about one-quarter of what
is in the blood-and it helps by carrying surplus amounts of LDL to the liver and in that way, slowing the growth
of plaque. Research suggests that ample amounts of HDL may actually help protect against heart attacks.
Many people struggle to keep their lipoproteins-that is, their cholesterol-under
check and in proper balance. Doctors often prescribe a strict diet, stress-reduction techniques, and a regimen
of aerobic exercise for patients as natural ways to keep LDL levels in check and to bolster HDL levels. But diet
and exercise are only part of the picture. Smoking and drinking alcohol both increase the risk of building up high
cholesterol levels, and heredity also plays its role: Many people inherit a family tendency for high cholesterol
levels.
Reducing Cholesterol
Because fighting high cholesterol is such a universal problem, scientists
have developed a battery of cholesterol-reducing drugs that fall into four general classes: HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors,
the statins; niacin; fibric acid derivative; and bile acid binding resin. Many of the so-called statin drugs, which
can be costly, may also carry disagreeable side effects, including nausea and muscle soreness, as well as potentially
harmful side effects, including an increase in liver enzymes interfering with liver function. Yet, doctors have
at hand a centuries-old natural product, which may be the best and least costly LDL-balancing agent. Additionally,
it has few, if any, side effects. The weapon? Red yeast rice.
Red Yeast Rice
During the T'ang Dynasty in the ninth century AD, the Chinese discovered
red yeast rice, a product that resulted from the fermenting of red Monascus purpureus yeast over nonglutinous rice.
Originally, the Chinese used it for making rice wine and for enhancing food color and taste-even today, says Guy
Evans, CEO of BioActive Nutrients, the reddish color that burnishes your favorite Peking duck is a food additive
that comes from red yeast rice.
Later during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644), the traditional Chinese materia
medica pharmacopoeia, Ben Cao Gang Mu-Dan Shi Bu Yi, recorded that Chinese doctors had found that powdered red
yeast rice benefited patients with abdominal pain and internal and external trauma, or bruising, reports Hsu Hong-Yen
in the Oriental Materia Medica.
Today Chinese doctors use red yeast rice to improve blood circulation,
help the spleen to work more efficiently, and treat br uises and hangovers. Chinese and Western researchers have also discovered that at least
one strain of red yeast rice helps reduce cholesterol and lower triglycerides, offering patients another dietary
way to improve their health, reports David Heber, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Center of Human Nutrition at UCLA,
and colleagues, in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Natural Benefits
"Red yeast rice works to combat LDL buildup and to reduce LDL excesses,"
says Frank Ervolino, N.D. (who received his degree from Bastyr University, a Seattle-area, fully accredited naturopathic
medicine university). It naturally contains such active constituents as monacolin I to VI, and monacolin K. In
the late 1970s in Japan, where red yeast rice had long been a dietary staple and used in making red yeast rice
sake, Professor Akira Endo identified the certain strain of red yeast that acted as a natural cholesterol-lowering
substance, known as monacolin K. Monacolin K works by interfering with the liver enzyme HMG-CoA reductase (which
controls cholesterol production), says Ervolino.
Cholesterol Control-A Superior Formulation
Today, one can find a range of red yeast supplements available. But there
is one that stands out from the rest-Cholesterol Control from BioActive Nutrients. It's a red yeast preparation
containing a combination of monacolins with additional natural ingredients for maximum efficacy. This is a money-saving
formula to help support healthy cholesterol. Pam M. from Spooner, Wisconsin was introduced to Cholesterol Control
by a friend.
When I went for my annual physical at the clinic last September, my total
cholesterol was 243 with an HDL of 46, and an LDL of 175. My triglycerides were 134. My doctor suggested diet and
exercise, but she also wanted me to take a prescription drug, Lipitor. It didn't hurt me, but I felt uncomfortable
taking it, because it had so many possible side effects. I ran into a friend's husband, who had had high blood
pressure and had taken BioActive Nutrients' Cholesterol Control, plus lecithin and vitamins.
My doctor wanted to see me again a few months later to see how I had
improved. When I went back to see her (in January 2005) she tested me, and my total cholesterol was 187, my HDL
55, my LDL 122, and my triglycerides 60. I told her I took only one Lipitor, preferring to take a food supplement
instead. The doctor sent me a letter stating that I had made a dramatic improvement…She said "I don't think
you have to come back for a recheck for a year."
While no one can predict your results and Pam M.'s experience may not
be indicative of yours, Ervolino thinks highly of Cholesterol Control as well, because it helps support healthy
inflammation levels, a big factor in heart health, and it acts like the statin drugs without the harmful side effects.
"As in Chinese herbal medicine, the formula's various elements work together synergistically, making the product
much more beneficial, especially for people with borderline cholesterol levels," he told us enthusiastically.
"Red yeast rice is completely safe," says Guy Evans. "It has been around for thousands of years,
and there are clinical trials that prove how helpful it is to people. I can't think of any other nutrients that
come close to its effectiveness."
Resources
Cholesterol Control is available at health food stores and can be special ordered for you by your
retailer by calling the company at (800) 879-6504.
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