Blood fat lowerers: Red card for red rice
Christiane Fux studied journalism and psychology in Hamburg. The experienced medical editor has been writing magazine articles, news and factual texts on all conceivable health topics since 2001. In addition to her work for, Christiane Fux is also active in prose. Her first crime novel was published in 2012, and she also writes, designs and publishes her own crime plays.
More posts by Christiane Fux All content is checked by medical journalists.Red rice is said to reduce excessive blood lipid levels, similar to statins. In fact, the fermented rice contains a structurally identical active ingredient: Monacolin K is the chemical twin of the cholesterol-lowering drug lovastatin. The catch: the side effects of the two substances are also similar. This is indicated once again by a study by Italian scientists.
As part of a survey study, the researchers identified 52 reports in which a total of 55 cases of undesirable side effects from dietary supplements made from red rice occurred. These ranged from muscle pain and muscle loss, gastrointestinal complaints and skin changes to elevated liver values and even liver damage.
Sick from red rice
In 13 cases, the side effects were so serious that those affected had to be treated in hospital, reported the scientists working with Gabriela Mazzanti from Sapienza University in Rome.
"Alarm signs such as myopathies or liver damage strengthen the assumption that red rice can have side effects similar to statins," the researchers write. They demand that dietary supplements should also be continuously monitored for possible risks.
Of course does not mean harmless
Tablets from the pharmaceutical laboratory make many people uncomfortable. Especially if they have to be taken permanently. This also includes statins, which lower critical blood lipid levels and can thus protect against heart attacks and strokes.
Some therefore prefer red rice supplements. Because many are not aware that active ingredients from nature can sometimes have significant side effects. Natural = healthy - that is firmly anchored in many minds.
In fact, however, the situation is different - because over-the-counter dietary supplements in particular harbor risks. You don't have to go through extensive testing procedures to get on the market. The amount of active ingredient contained in natural products fluctuates and is therefore unpredictable. And they don't require a prescription. This means that they are also ingested by people who do not need them and for whom they are more likely to harm than good.
Added effect
It also becomes a cause for concern when people who are already taking cholesterol-lowering drugs add red rice products to their bodies. Then the respective effects can add up in a risky manner. For these reasons, the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices (BfArM) warns against products with red rice.
The product, also known as red mold rice, is made through fermentation with mold. This gives it its characteristic red color, but it also creates the pharmacologically active substances. In Asia, red rice is traditionally used to treat gastrointestinal complaints, but also for cardiovascular problems.
Source: Mazzanti G et al .: Adverse reactions to dietary supplements containing red yeast rice: assessment of case s from the Italian surveillance system. British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology, 2016; DOI: 10.1111 / bcp.13171
Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices, www.bfarm.de, accessed January 18, 2017
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