Red yeast rice para que sirve

Overview

Red yeast rice is the product of yeast (Monascus purpureus) grown on white rice. The powdered yeast-rice mixture is a dietary staple in Asia and has been used in traditional Chinese medicine.

Red yeast rice is also available as an oral supplement.

Red yeast rice might contain compounds that appear to lower cholesterol levels. One of the compounds is monacolin K, the same ingredient that is in the prescription cholesterol-lowering drug lovastatin (Altoprev).

As an oral supplement, people take red yeast rice for high cholesterol and heart disease.

Evidence

Research on red yeast rice use for specific conditions shows:

  • High cholesterol (hyperlipidemia). Research shows that red yeast rice containing considerable amounts of monacolin K can lower your total blood cholesterol level, your low-density lipoprotein (LDL, or "bad") cholesterol level and your triglyceride level.

Our take

Caution

Red yeast rice is capable of lowering blood cholesterol levels and total blood cholesterol levels. While the supplement is generally considered safe, it might carry the same potential side effects as statin cholesterol drugs.

Red yeast rice might cost less than a statin. However, with a supplement, there's less assurance regarding quality and how much active ingredient is actually in the product. Some red yeast products might contain only small amounts of monacolin K and potentially have little effect on cholesterol levels.

Safety and side effects

Red yeast rice can cause mild side effects, including:

  • Abdominal discomfort
  • Heartburn
  • Gas
  • Headache
  • Dizziness

Red yeast rice might contain monacolin K, the same ingredient that is in the prescription cholesterol-lowering drug lovastatin. Lovastatin side effects include liver damage and muscle disorders (myopathy).

Don't take red yeast rice if you're pregnant, trying to become pregnant or breast-feeding.

An older study raised the concern that some red yeast rice products contain a contaminant called citrinin, which can cause kidney failure. However, a more recent study that analyzed 14 red yeast rice dietary supplements didn't find citrinin in any of them.

Interactions

Possible interactions include:

  • Alcohol. Don't drink alcohol if you are taking red yeast rice. The combination might increase the risk of liver damage.
  • Cyclosporine (Neoral, Sandimmune). Taking this immunosuppressive drug with red yeast rice might increase the risk of myopathy.
  • Cytochrome P450 3A4 (CYP3A4) inhibitors. Taking red yeast rice with drugs, such as erythromycin, that inhibit this enzyme might increase the risk of harmful red yeast rice side effects.
  • Grapefruit. Drinking grapefruit juice and taking red yeast rice might increase the risk of the supplement's harmful side effects.
  • Gemfibrozil (Lopid). Taking this cholesterol drug with red yeast rice might increase the risk of myopathy.
  • Hepatotoxic drugs, herbs and supplements. Red yeast rice might contain monacolin K, which can cause liver damage in some people. Taking red yeast rice with these types of drugs, herbs and supplements could increase the risk of liver damage.
  • Niacin. Taking red yeast rice with high-dose niacin might increase the risk of myopathy.
  • St. John's wort. Taking this supplement with red yeast rice might reduce the effectiveness of red yeast rice.
  • Statin. Taking red yeast rice with other statins might increase the risk of harmful side effects.

From Mayo Clinic to your inbox

Sign up for free, and stay up to date on research advancements, health tips and current health topics, like COVID-19, plus expertise on managing health.

To provide you with the most relevant and helpful information, and understand which information is beneficial, we may combine your email and website usage information with other information we have about you. If you are a Mayo Clinic patient, this could include protected health information. If we combine this information with your protected health information, we will treat all of that information as protected health information and will only use or disclose that information as set forth in our notice of privacy practices. You may opt-out of email communications at any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link in the e-mail.

Nov. 14, 2020

  1. Red yeast rice. National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health. https://nccih.nih.gov/health/redyeastrice. Accessed Sept. 19, 2017.
  2. Red yeast rice. Natural Medicines. https://naturalmedicines.therapeuticresearch.com. Accessed Sept. 19, 2017.
  3. Avula B, et al. Chemical profiling and quantification of monacolins and citrinin in red yeast rice commercial raw materials and dietary supplements using liquid chromatography-accurate QToF mass spectrometry: Chemometrics application. Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis. 2014;100:243.

.

¿Qué efectos secundarios tiene la levadura de arroz rojo?

En pequeñas dosis (10 mg de monacolina K), la levadura roja de arroz puede causar efectos leves como mareos, cefaleas y malestares digestivos. Dosis mayores o el uso prolongado pueden generar debilidad muscular, problemas renales y hepáticos. Se debe tomar bajo control médico.

¿Qué beneficios tiene el arroz de levadura roja?

El arroz de levadura roja puede disminuir los niveles de colesterol en sangre y los niveles totales de colesterol en sangre. Si bien el suplemento, por lo general, se considera seguro, puede tener los mismos efectos secundarios que los medicamentos con estatinas para el colesterol.

¿Cuándo es mejor tomar la levadura roja de arroz?

La levadura roja de arroz y sus principios activos actúan de la misma manera, por tanto es apropiado tomarla por la noche antes de acostarse . Es una alternativa natural que debe tomarse bajo control médico, como todo complemento alimenticio con fines terapéuticos (3).

¿Cómo se toma el Red Yeast Rice?

Red yeast rice funciona mejor si se toma con comida. No inhale el polvo de una cápsula de red yeast rice. Éste puede causar una reacción alérgica. Llame a su médico si la condición que usted está tratando con red yeast rice no mejora, o si empeora mientras usa este producto.