Articles
Cholesterol-lowering supplements may be helpful
Red yeast rice might be dangerous
Garlic might be ineffective
Medications might be necessary
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Red yeast rice — Natural doesn't mean safe
Dietary supplements may not be enough
Red yeast rice might be dangerous
Another popular cholesterol-lowering supplement is red yeast rice. There is some evidence that red yeast rice can help lower your LDL cholesterol. However, the Food and Drug Administration has warned that red yeast rice products could contain a naturally occurring form of the prescription medication known as lovastatin.
Lovastatin in red yeast rice products is potentially dangerous because there's no way to know how much lovastatin might be in a particular product. And there's no way to determine the quality of the lovastatin.