Click To View Products

Red yeast rice has historical uses in China as a digestive aid and circulation enhancer. It is also widely used in Asia as a preservative, food coloring agent, flavor enhancer, and as an ingredient in red wine.

Extracts of red yeast rice also have lipid-lowering properties similar to that of statin drugs.

Previous studies have shown that xuezhikang can effectively lower total cholesterol and LDL ("bad") cholesterol levels, while raising heart-healthy HDL cholesterol. The new study, published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, was designed to examine the effect of xuezhikang on the risk of heart disease in people with a history of cardiovascular disease.

Participating in the trial were 1,445 Chinese people ages 65 to 75. About half of them were given 0.6 grams of xuezhikang two times per day and the other half was given a placebo two times per day for four years.

Xuezhikang reduced total cholesterol levels by over 12% and LDL cholesterol levels by almost 18%. Triglyceride levels also dropped in the xuezhikang group and HDL levels rose significantly compared with the placebo group.

Xuezhikang treatment reduced the rate of new coronary events including nonfatal heart attacks, sudden death from cardiac causes, and other heart-related deaths by almost 37%. People taking xuezhikang were also 48% less likely to die from other causes such as cancer and stroke than were people in the placebo group. Adverse effects of xuezhikang were rare and included gastrointestinal upset, allergic reactions, muscle pain, and swelling (edema). The rates of adverse effects were similar between the xuezhikang and placebo groups.

"10.18.07--Red Yeast Rice Extract Combats Heart Disease" -By Kimberly Beauchamp, ND