One of the most beneficial effects of taking a natural red yeast rice supplement is that it has been clinically shown to reduce bad cholesterol levels in people who take it on a consistent basis. Over a 12 week course, research has shown that bad cholesterol levels can be dropped by over 30%, good cholesterol production can be increased, and overall cholesterol counts can be maintained at healthy levels.
There is one question that many typically have before they start taking red yeast rice. Is red yeast rice a statin equivalent even though it is considered a supplement? Let’s take a look.
Red Yeast Rice Does Contain Monacolins
There are a number of different statin medications that are available today and many of them contain a chemical compound called monacolins. There are a number of different monacolins and red yeast rice contains a number of them as well, but one of the most effective is called monacolin K. This can be found in the prescription drug lovostatin and it can also be found in natural red yeast rice supplements.
Are the dosage levels the same? Although when comparing the chemical compounds it looks like red yeast rice is a statin equivalent, the prescription drugs that contain monacolins have a greater concentration of them. What does this mean? If you have very high cholesterol levels that need to be regulated, then red yeast rice won’t provide an equivalent result to a statin. If, however, you need to lower your bad cholesterol levels by up to 25% in just a few weeks, then it could be considered a statin equivalent.
Here’s What You Need To Know About Modern Red Yeast Rice
Many government industry regulators noticed that the structure of red yeast rice supplements was very similar to some of the prescription statins that were available through pharmacies for a fraction of the cost. In the name of providing public safety, natural red yeast rice supplements were declared to be a drug because of the amount of monacolins that they contained. Supplement manufacturers were given an ultimatum: remove the monacolins or remove the product from store shelves.
Because of this, it can sometimes be difficult to find a genuine, unaltered red yeast rice supplement to take. It can also be found as a food product because it is used to color fish, alcoholic beverages, certain Asian dishes like Peking duck, and is even used in cheese. These food varieties may or may not contain monacolins as well.
Is there any way to tell which supplements do or do not have monacolins? Not typically. It isn’t a compound that is declared on the label, so any supplement may have them. If they do, then depending on your needs, you will have a statin equivalent on your hands. If you have more of a clinical need to lower cholesterol levels, however, you may find that a prescription statin may be more effective to achieve the desired result.