Who are suitable candidates for red yeast rice products?
There is not yet consensus among scientists and doctors as to the role of red yeast rice in treating elevated cholesterol. Therefore a doctor familiar with a patient’s personal medical condition and his/her family history of heart diseases should be prescribing cholesterol-lowering measures. Generally in the United States, when diet, weight loss, and exercise are insufficient in lowering cholesterol to optimal levels, many doctors recommend using a statin drug since large long-term trials have consistently shown that statins (such as pravastatin, simvastatin, lovastatin, and atorvastatin) are safe and effective in lowering LDL cholesterol and decreasing the risk of heart attacks and strokes. In patients who are intolerant or unwilling to use statins or other traditional cholesterol lowering medications, red yeast rice is an option if the patient’s cholesterol abnormality is mild. Who are not suitable candidates for red yeast rice? Patients with moderate to severe cholesterol abnormalit
