Comments on Kardea Nutrition-Heart Healthy & Inspired: Red Yeast Rice Supplements-Can They Still Be Effec...

A very interesting question! Consumer labs has re...

2008-09-21T20:14:00.000-04:00

A very interesting question! Consumer labs has recently issued a report that indicated that levels of the lovastatin-like compound do exist in the supplements that are on the market..although a widely different levels from manufacturer to manufacturer (and potential from lot-to-lot of a given manufacturer) ...and the FDA continues to allow the sale of these products. As I understand what is going on here, so long as the manufacturer does not test for or validate the level of the statin--and makes no claims in regard to cholesterol, red yeast rice supplements (like red yeast rice) can be sold. In this light, not sure why any one would choose this form of statin over a prescription version. Thoughts?

I think a more interesting question is whether or ...

2008-09-20T19:03:00.001-04:00

I think a more interesting question is whether or not someone can sell red yeast rice containing lovastatin as a prescription dietary supplement. At the moment, I think the answer is no.

I think a more interesting question is whether or ...

2008-09-20T19:03:00.000-04:00

I think a more interesting question is whether or not someone can sell red yeast rice containing lovastatin as a prescription dietary supplement. At the moment, I think the answer is no.

Susan--interesting references. Here at Kardea, we...

2008-02-22T14:45:00.000-05:00

Susan--interesting references. Here at Kardea, we are working on an indepth white paper on omega-3and any and all information is useful. We are keenly interested in not only the scienitic evidence but the range of understanding regarding Omega'3s. We certainly appreciate all information available. Thanks agan---Rob at Kardea.

Thought you'd be interested in this short omega-3 ...

2008-02-22T08:51:00.000-05:00

Thought you'd be interested in this short omega-3 video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eIgNpsbvcVM

Allport's book shows why fish are not the only way, nor are they the best way, of meeting our omega-3 needs.

The other company was Sunburst Biorganics. These ...

2008-02-21T15:41:00.000-05:00

The other company was Sunburst Biorganics. These were the most recent actions taken by the FDA. The issue actually goes back to Pharmanex case going back to 1999 (the FDA prevailed after moving through an appeals process).

And it also is true that it is legal to sell red yeast rice, both as a food and as a supplement. And it is certainly true that red yeast rice supplements were effective. But the question is this: can they still be effective if they no long can carry the active ingredients? If so, how? If anybody has good science on this (and yes, the original science on red yeast rice was good---I believe it came out of UCLA), I would love to see it.

Also, thanks for the reference to NutritionalTree.com. It is a good source of insight. I do note that some people chose to take red yeast rice instead of statins because of the concern about muscle damage. But if the active ingredient is chemically the same as a statin, the concern should remain. True enough, naturally-derived, but it is not clear that the potential side-effects would be any less significiant assuming similar dose.

Just a clarification. I think the FDA only warned...

2008-02-21T14:59:00.000-05:00

Just a clarification. I think the FDA only warned against using the red yeast rice of a few companies--Swansons and someone else I can't remember. There are a lot of brands on the market, and some definitely seem to work. NutritionalTree.com rates these kinds of products, and some have good reviews.