Red Yeast Rice for Dyslipidemia in Statin-Intolerant Patients
Authors: Anna L. Kolpakchi
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2010)

Letters19 January 2010Red Yeast Rice for Dyslipidemia in Statin-Intolerant PatientsAnna L. Kolpakchi, MD, Ikedieze I. Chukwu, MD, and Maria T. Vlachaki, MD, MBAAnna L. Kolpakchi, MDFrom Baylor College of Medicine and MEDVAMC, Houston, Texas 77030; and British Columbia Cancer Agency, Victoria, British Columbia V8R 6V5, United Kingdom.Search for more papers by this author, Ikedieze I. Chukwu, MDFrom Baylor College of Medicine and MEDVAMC, Houston, Texas 77030; and British Columbia Cancer Agency, Victoria, British Columbia V8R 6V5, United Kingdom.Search for more papers by this author, and Maria T. Vlachaki, MD, MBAFrom Baylor College of Medicine and MEDVAMC, Houston, Texas 77030; and British Columbia Cancer Agency, Victoria, British Columbia V8R 6V5, United Kingdom.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-152-2-201001190-00023 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail TO THE EDITOR:We read with interest the article by Becker and colleagues (1). The emergence of red yeast rice as a dietary supplement and cholesterol-lowering agent shows why such supplements are currently classified as unapproved drugs under the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (2).Red yeast rice as a supplement did not exist until 1993. However, it has been used as a food coloring and flavoring agent throughout the Orient for centuries, and its medicinal use for indigestion, diarrhea, and blood circulation is mentioned in ancient Chinese pharmacopoeia. Originally, it was made by fermenting cooked white rice with ...References1. Becker DJ, Gordon RY, Halbert SC, French B, Morris PB, Rader DJ. Red yeast rice for dyslipidemia in statin-intolerant patients: a randomized trial. Ann Intern Med. 2009;150:830-9, W147-9. [PMID: 19528562] LinkGoogle Scholar2. Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994. Pub. L. No. 103-417 (1994). Google Scholar3. Endo A. The origin of the statins. 2004. Atheroscler Suppl. 2004;5:125-30. [PMID: 15531285] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar4. Wang L, Lu Z, Chi J, Wang W, Su M, Kou W, et al. Multicenter clinical trial of the serum lipid-lowering effects of a Monascus purpureus (red yeast) rice preparation from traditional chinese medicine. Curr Ther Res Clin Exp. 1997;58:964-78. 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[PMID: 17976405] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar11. Lapi F, Gallo E, Bernasconi S, Vietri M, Menniti-Ippolito F, Raschetti R, et al. Myopathies associated with red yeast rice and liquorice: spontaneous reports from the Italian Surveillance System of Natural Health Products [Letter]. Br J Clin Pharmacol. 2008;66:572-4. [PMID: 18637891] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar12. Roselle H, Ekatan A, Tzeng J, Sapienza M, Kocher J. Symptomatic hepatitis associated with the use of herbal red yeast rice [Letter]. Ann Intern Med. 2008;149:516-7. [PMID: 18838736] LinkGoogle Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: From Baylor College of Medicine and MEDVAMC, Houston, Texas 77030; and British Columbia Cancer Agency, Victoria, British Columbia V8R 6V5, United Kingdom.Disclosures: None disclosed. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoSymptomatic Myopathy due to Red Yeast Rice Paul S. Mueller Symptomatic Hepatitis Associated with the Use of Herbal Red Yeast Rice Harry Roselle , Andrew Ekatan , Jausheng Tzeng , Mark Sapienza , and Jeffrey Kocher Red Yeast Rice for Dyslipidemia in Statin-Intolerant Patients David J. Becker , Ram Y. Gordon , Steven C. Halbert , Benjamin French , Patti B. Morris , and Daniel J. Rader Red Yeast Rice for Dyslipidemia in Statin-Intolerant Patients David G. Le Couteur Red Yeast Rice for Dyslipidemia in Statin-Intolerant Patients Alfredo Vannacci , Francesco Lapi , Eugenia Gallo , Francesca Menniti-Ippolito , Alessandro Mugelli , and Fabio Firenzuoli Red Yeast Rice for Dyslipidemia in Statin-Intolerant Patients David J. Becker and Ram Y. Gordon Metrics Cited byStrategies to preserve the use of statins in patients with previous muscular adverse effects 19 January 2010Volume 152, Issue 2Page: 133-134KeywordsConflicts of interestDiarrheaDrug administrationDrugsDyslipidemiaFoodInternetSafetyToxicity ePublished: 19 January 2010 Issue Published: 19 January 2010 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2010 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...