This small red supplement has the potential to reduce “bad” cholesterol, but experts have advised caution.
An unusual supplement costing just 24p could help lower “bad” cholesterol levels. A study revealed that taking this pill could have similar results to statins – a class of drugs prescribed to bring down cholesterol levels.
Having high levels of cholesterol means you have too much of a fatty substance called cholesterol in your blood. Over time this can lead to blockages in the vessels, ultimately leading to serious health conditions such as heart attacks and strokes.
However, there are ways to both prevent this and reduce your levels. An article by the British Heart Foundation (BHF) suggested that taking red yeast rice extract could do the latter.
Red yeast rice is a reddish fermented rice that is used to colour a lot of Chinese dishes including pickled tofu and Peking duck. It can also be bought as a supplement in capsule form from wellbeing stores.
“Red yeast rice extract comes from fermentation of a type of yeast found in rice and is sold as a supplement,” it explained. “It contains an ingredient called monacolin K, which may lower ‘bad’ LDL cholesterol and is already an ingredient in a statin called lovastatin.”
This is backed by a scientific review of 20 trials published in the journal Atherosclerosis in 2015. This found that those taking red yeast rice had about the same decrease in “bad” cholesterol levels compared to those taking a statin.
It found that red yeast rice could “significantly” decrease low-density lipoprotein. “Red yeast rice exerts a clinically and statistically significant reduction of 1.02 mmol/L low-density lipoprotein cholesterol,” it says.
There are two types of cholesterol found in the blood, more commonly referred to as “good” and “bad” cholesterol. Low-density lipoprotein – also known as “bad” cholesterol is what can build up on the walls of your blood vessels and over time this causes the insides of the vessels to narrow.
In comparison, high-density lipoprotein works to reduce cholesterol levels by absorbing it and carrying it back to the liver. The liver then removes it from the body. A healthy level of total cholesterol in the blood is considered to be five or less millimoles per litre (mmol/l).
But the BHF issued a warning about the supplement. It said: “However, unlike statins, the amount of active ingredient in red yeast rice supplements can vary as complementary medicines are not as heavily regulated. There is also a lack of research into whether the extract is safe long-term, so it’s not recommended.”
To reduce cholesterol levels in a healthy and sustainable way, the NHS advises:
- Eating less saturated fat
- Exercising more
- To stop smoking
- Cutting back on alcohol.
At the time of reporting, a jar of 90 red yeast rice extract could be bought online from Cytoplan for £22.40, working out as roughly 24p per tablet. If you are concerned about your cholesterol levels you should speak to your doctor.
