November 8/Albany, N.Y./Complementary Therapies in Medicine -- Studies show that red yeast rice, a food product used to brew rice wine in China, is as effective as statins in lowering cholesterol, which is linked to high risk of heart disease. A recent review published in Complementary Therapies in Medicine has confirmed the efficacy.
C.W. and S.A. Mousa of The Pharmaceutical Research Institute at the Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences in Rensselaer, N.Y., reviewed previous studies and found red yeast (Monascus purpureus) rice effectively lowered low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol and total cholesterol. LDL cholesterol is considered the bad cholesterol that increases risk of heart disease.