How Is Red Yeast Rice Used?
For more than 500 years, the Chinese have used red yeast rice as a spice sprinkled over their food. In addition to enhancing the flavor of their dishes, they use it as a natural way to keep dietary cholesterol low. Red yeast rice is literally yeast that grows on rice, and the fermentation produces naturally occurring compounds that work similar to Western prescription medicine for lowering cholesterol. Now sold as a supplement, it is highly regulated by the FDA because of its ability to cause reactions and side effects similar to that of prescription statins. What Are The Benefits Of Red Yeast Rice? As mentioned above, trials have shown that red yeast rice can lower blood cholesterol by up to 15% more than a placebo. For patients with extremely elevated levels of cholesterol who cannot tolerate the prescriptions that are available, low doses of red yeast rice may be recommended. However, since side effects of this naturally occurring compound can be very similar to those of chemical st
