It’s Back: Red Yeast Rice

I still get questions about using red yeast rice (RYR) instead of a statin to lower cholesterol. About 15 years ago, I looked up the data, wrote about it, and tucked it away. The answer was yes—but. What does that mean? Time to review it again in case you’ve been thinking about it.

Red yeast rice is actually not a yeast, it’s a mold that is produced by the fermentation of a fungus in the Monascus family that grows on, as you may have guessed, red rice. The genera Monascus purpureus is technically a mold—a fungus that produces filaments that include many cells rather than a yeast, a single-celled fungus. From a marketing perspective, you can understand why supplement manufacturers wanted to use red yeast rice rather than red mold rice.

Did RYR as a supplement work to lower cholesterol? Yes, based on several studies done in the late 1990s. There was only one problem. The RYR contained monacolin K, a by-product of fermenting the mold on the red rice. Why is that a problem? Because monacolin K is chemically identical to lovastatin, a pharmaceutical that lowers cholesterol. While no one wants to take medications any more than they have to, the RYR was a “natural” alternative. Is it still available and moreover, is it the same RYR? I’ll let you know on Saturday.

What are you prepared to do today?

        Dr. Chet

References:
1. Methodist Debakey Cardiovasc J. 2019 Jul-Sep;15(3):192-199.
2. NIH NCCIH 2024. Red Yeast Rice.