Did you know that one of the red yeast rice benefits will help
lower cholesterol? Everyone should know their total
cholesterol levels; if yours is high, you may want to consider eating red yeast rice to lower your cholesterol. It's best for your cholesterol to be below 200 milligrams per deciliter, but a third of all Americans have cholesterol in the borderline 200 to 240 range and about one fifth are in the dangerously very high over 240 range.
If your cholesterol levels are high, your doctor can prescribe statin drugs, like Lipitor and Zocor, which inhibit cholesterol production, but these drugs pose risks to the liver and muscles.
Dr. David Heber, Director of the UCLA Center for Human Nutrition, may have found a safer, natural alternative in Chinese Red Yeast Rice. Below are Dr. Heber's answers to some frequently asked questions about this natural treatment:
here are a number of things that are recommended. One is to reduce total caloric intake. If you are obese, achieving a healthy body weight is also extremely important.
Then there's increasing fiber intake to 25 to 30 grams per day. If you smoke, quit. Beyond that, there are a number of natural supplements that have been used for people with moderately high cholesterol. Among these, one of the most effective is Chinese Red Yeast Rice.
It is literally a red yeast that grows on a particular type of rice. It's been eaten in China as a spice for over 500 years. The yeast itself contains a family of substances called monocolins, which lower cholesterol by inhibiting cholesterol production in the liver in the same manner as prescription statin drugs.
In China, Red Yeast Rice is sprinkled on top of tofu or meat dishes, giving a tangy taste. It's relatively simple to incorporate Chinese Red Yeast Rice into the diet simply by making it an ingredient in your cooking or by taking it in capsule form. The typical dose is 2.4 grams a day as four capsules.
Yes. Seventeen studies in China found that this particular strain would actually lower total cholesterol. In addition we've recently performed a double-blind placebo controlled study here at UCLA with the results published in the February 1999 American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
