{"id":51051,"date":"2025-04-25T21:43:00","date_gmt":"2025-04-26T01:43:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hancockhealth.org\/mayo-health-library\/red-yeast-rice\/"},"modified":"2026-02-04T11:56:20","modified_gmt":"2026-02-04T16:56:20","slug":"red-yeast-rice","status":"publish","type":"mayo","link":"https:\/\/hancockhealth.apgar.digital\/es\/mayo-health-library\/red-yeast-rice\/","title":{"rendered":"Red yeast rice"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"container mx-auto   wordpress-block wordpress- core-\">\n<p>Red yeast rice is the product of the fungus <em>Monascus purpureus<\/em> grown on rice. Red yeast rice is available in a powdered form that you can eat. It&#8217;s also used in traditional Chinese medicine or sold as a supplement taken by mouth.<\/p>\n<p>Red yeast rice has compounds in it that appear to lower cholesterol. One of the compounds is monacolin K. This compound has the same chemical structure as the prescription cholesterol-lowering medicine lovastatin (Altoprev).<\/p>\n<p>Some people take red yeast rice as a supplement to try to lower cholesterol and improve their heart health.<\/p>\n<p>Research on red yeast rice use for specific conditions shows:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>High cholesterol.<\/strong> Research shows that red yeast rice that has a large amount of the compound monacolin K in it can lower total cholesterol. The supplement also may lower low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, also called LDL cholesterol. This is the &#8220;bad&#8221; cholesterol found in the blood that can raise your risk of heart disease.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4>Caution<\/h4>\n<p>Red yeast rice can lower blood cholesterol. While the supplement is generally considered safe, it has the same potential side effects as prescription statin medicines used to treat high cholesterol.<\/p>\n<p>Red yeast rice supplements are available without a prescription. But there&#8217;s less of a guarantee about what&#8217;s in a red yeast rice supplement compared with a statin. Some red yeast products might have only small amounts of monacolin K in them and might have little effect on cholesterol.<\/p>\n<p>Red yeast rice can cause mild side effects, including:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Stomach pain.<\/li>\n<li>Heartburn.<\/li>\n<li>Gas.<\/li>\n<li>Headache.<\/li>\n<li>Feeling dizzy.<\/li>\n<li>Upset stomach.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The monacolin K in red yeast rice has the same chemical structure as the prescription cholesterol-lowering medicine lovastatin. The supplement and man-made medicine can have similar side effects that are more serious. These may include liver, muscle, and kidney issues.<\/p>\n<p>Don&#8217;t take red yeast rice if you&#8217;re pregnant, trying to become pregnant, or breastfeeding.<\/p>\n<p>Red yeast rice supplements also could have citrinin in them. Citrinin is a toxin that can harm the kidneys. An analysis of 37 red yeast rice supplements found that only one had citrinin at safe levels.<\/p>\n<p>Some medicines, supplements, and substances may not work well with red yeast rice. These include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Alcohol.<\/strong> Don&#8217;t drink alcohol if you are taking red yeast rice. The combination might increase the risk of liver damage.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Cyclosporine (Neoral, Sandimmune).<\/strong> This medicine suppresses the immune system. Taking it with red yeast rice might raise the risk of muscle issues.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Cytochrome P450 3A4 inhibitors.<\/strong> Taking red yeast rice with medicines that slow down or stop the CYP3A4 enzyme might raise the risk of harmful side effects from red yeast rice. These medicines include erythromycin.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Grapefruit.<\/strong> Drinking grapefruit juice and taking red yeast rice might raise the risk of the supplement&#8217;s harmful side effects.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Gemfibrozil (Lopid).<\/strong> Taking this cholesterol medicine with red yeast rice might raise the risk of muscle issues.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Hepatotoxic medicines, herbs and supplements.<\/strong> Red yeast rice may have monacolin K in it, which can cause liver damage in some people. Taking red yeast rice with these types of medicines, herbs, and supplements could raise the risk of liver damage.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Niacin.<\/strong> Taking red yeast rice with high-dose niacin might raise the risk of muscle issues.<\/li>\n<li><strong>St. John&#8217;s wort.<\/strong> Taking this supplement with red yeast rice might lessen how well the red yeast rice works.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Statins.<\/strong> Taking red yeast rice with statins might raise the risk of harmful side effects.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Understand the potential benefits and risks of taking red yeast rice to lower your cholesterol.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","tags":[1712],"class_list":["post-51051","mayo","type-mayo","status-publish","hentry","tag-red-yeast-rice-monascus-purpureus","content_type-articles"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - 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