Why I'm not a fan of Chinese Red Rice Yeast

Thursday, April 24

Sure it works. I've heard of cases where Red Rice Yeast (Monascus purpureus) lowered cholesterol significantly. So why don't I recommend it?

For one thing, substituting an herb for a standard drug isn't really holistic; in many cases, it's just surrendering to cholesterol-phobia. Drugs that lower cholesterol like Vitorin and Zetia don't actually reduce arterial plaque, according to recent studies. So why make the same mistake with an herb?

Admittedly, certain conditions call for statin drugs, like when people need protection after heart attacks. Fine. I'd rather use a standardized drug than an iffy herb if we really need to get the job done.

Red Rice Yeast contains a substance identical to the cholesterol-lowering drug lovastatin. How much is in each batch is anybody's guess--it's not carefully regulated. So if you're trying to avoid statin side effects by taking something "natural", forget about it: I've seen Red Rice Yeast cause elevations in liver function tests just like statins.

Additionally, the stuff comes from China. The Chinese have now totally blown their credibility by poisoning our pets with melamine, and most recently, our people with contaminated heparin. There are many instances where Chinese herbs have been surreptitiously laced with conventional drugs like steroids or hormones. Then there are contaminants, like arsenic, lead, mercury. I'm fed up with the Chinese.

Now comes news that certain brands of Red Rice Yeast have been deliberately spiked with lovastatin--I guess that's to make sure it assays as "potent" and it keeps customers happy with significant cholesterol drops. The FDA, even as understaffed as it is, has pulled the ticket on four Red Rice Yeast manufacturers for just this infraction. At least when Merck poisons you, you know what you've taken.

Worse news is that some batches of Red Rice Yeast have been found to be contaminated with citrinins--toxic byproducts of the finicky fermentation process by which the herb is prepared. Citrinins are potent neurotoxins--they damage the brain and the nervous system, and they can cause DNA damage.

After FDA shut down the original, reputable manufacturer of Red Rice Yeast, Pharmanex, they left the market wide open for poorly-regulated and unscrupulous manufacturers to fill the void and cash in. At least Pharmanex did their due diligence and tested and marketed a clean product, but the FDA squashed them, and hasn't been consistent in shutting down the market.

For the reasons stated, don't expect Red Rice Yeast to be around for very much longer.

Instead use niacin (under a doctor's supervision), fish oil, pantetheine, flax seed, garlic, EGCG, and a host of other agents for cholesterol-lowering and heart protection. And remember that there's NO substitute for diet and exercise.