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Are Red Yeast Supplements Safe? |
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You may have seen red yeast rice supplements available over the counter (OTC). These supplements are made by fermenting rice. These supplements promise to lower cholesterol and they likely will. Right or wrong, many of these  supplements actually contain a class of prescription cholesterol lowering drugs called ‘statins’. Some red yeast rice supplements have even been shown to contain up to 10 mg of the prescription drug called lovastatin.
It is illegal to sell a product OTC that contains statins. However, not all red yeast rice supplements are illegal. When fermented by traditional methods, the final product will have little to no statin’s in them. However, some manufacturers manipulate the process to increase the amount of statins in the product.
Another danger of improperly fermented red yeast is it may contain a toxin called citrinin. Citrinin can cause kidney failure. Since nutritional supplements are not regulated as tightly as medications are, it is difficult to know which products may be contaminated and which are not.
Some may think that having such a potent cholesterol-lowering medication available OTC is a good thing. The problem is that statins have some very serious side effects and drug interactions. Statins have been associated with serious liver and muscle problems. As such, there have been reports of liver and muscle problems with red yeast rice supplements. There is also the potential for these products to interact with a variety of drugs.
Talk to your doctor before making any changes to your medication regimen and consider refraining from the use of red yeast rice products. If you suffer from high cholesterol, talk to your doctor about proven, time-tested medication therapies which may have a more predictable side effect profile.
Author: Christi Larson, Pharm. D.
Dr. Larson is a Clinical Infusion Pharmacist, author of Empowered Medicine; A Guide for Consumers and creator of www.empoweredmedicine.com. You can read more about her by visiting www.EmpoweredMedicine.com and clicking on the 'About Us' tab. EmpoweredMedicine.com is committed to providing evidence-based medical information.
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