Compound or practice · Supplement
Red Yeast Rice
A supplement that lowers LDL because it literally contains a statin — same benefits, same risks, minus the dose control.
- Overall grade
- Grade B
- Last revised
- 2
- graded outcomes
- 0
- references listed
A structured monograph in Prometheus's bundled library. Its grades are the monograph's own reading of the evidence, not a peer-reviewed review.
1 at grade A · 1 at grade B — 2 graded rows
What is known
Each outcome with its grade (how strong the evidence is, A to D), the size of the effect where the entry records one, and how often studies agree.
- LDL cholesterolEvidence grade A
Contains a statin
Moderatehigh
- Cardiovascular eventsEvidence grade B
One large trial positive
Moderatemixed
What is uncertain
Read off the same rows as above. Nothing here is added that the entry does not itself record.
- Studies disagree: Cardiovascular events (mixed agreement).
- Watch with Coenzyme Q10: Like all statins, lowers CoQ10.
Interactions
Documented pairings with supplements and medicines. A medicine on this list is a conversation for whoever prescribes it.
Coenzyme Q10Depletes a nutrient
Like all statins, lowers CoQ10.
The evidence in words
What it is
Red yeast rice is fermented rice containing monacolin K, which is chemically identical to the prescription statin lovastatin. It is a drug wearing a supplement label.
How it works
Monacolin K inhibits HMG-CoA reductase, the rate-limiting enzyme in cholesterol synthesis — exactly like pharmaceutical statins.
What the evidence shows
It reliably lowers LDL cholesterol and, in one large trial, reduced cardiovascular events. The problem is quality: monacolin content varies wildly between products, some contain the kidney-toxic contaminant citrinin, and it carries all statin risks (muscle, liver) without standardized dosing or medical monitoring.
How to use it
If used, treat it as a statin — under a clinician, with a tested product, and with the same monitoring. Prescription statins are the safer, dose-controlled route to the same effect.
Safety & interactions
Statin-class risks (myopathy, liver enzymes) plus contamination and dose-variability concerns. The same interactions as statins apply, including CoQ10 depletion. Coenzyme Q10 — Like all statins, lowers CoQ10.
Bottom line
It works because it's a statin — which means it carries statin risks with none of the dose control. If you want the effect, a prescribed statin is the safer, cheaper path.
How it is used
As the entry records it, from the studies it summarises. Not a recommendation for you — doses that suit a trial population may not suit you.
- Statin-equivalent
- Treat as a statin — tested product, medical monitoring.
Related reading
Entries that share this one's tags or conditions.
- Bergamot (Citrus Bergamia)A citrus polyphenol extract with promising LDL and triglyceride data — an emerging natural lipid helper.Evidence grade C
- Red Yeast Rice for Cardiovascular eventsEvidence grade B — One large trial positiveEvidence grade B
- Red Yeast Rice for LDL cholesterolEvidence grade A — Contains a statinEvidence grade A
- Red Yeast Rice: dosage and how to take itTreat as a statin — tested product, medical monitoring.Evidence grade B
Sources
This entry lists no references of its own.
Last revised . A grade is this entry's reading of the evidence, not medical advice.