The Truth About Red Yeast Rice

Who Can Take AOR’s Red Yeast Rice with Ankascin? Ankascin is safe for most people; however, it should be taken with caution under certain conditions. Consult a healthcare practitioner if you are breastfeeding, taking other medications (including, but not limited to, cyclosporine, blood thinners, blood lipid-lowering medications, blood pressure medications or anti-diabetic drugs), if you suffer from liver or kidney disease, if you have received an organ transplant, or for use beyond 8 weeks. If you experience muscle pain, tenderness and/or weakness, discontinue use and consult a healthcare practitioner. Do not use if you are pregnant or plan to become

Red Yeast Rices Long-term use of statins, or of red yeast rice containing monacolin K, produces toxic side effects on the liver, kidneys and skeletal muscle. These side effects are worsened by interactions with drugs that increase the biological activity of statins (see Table 1)2. Toxicity is a major reason why patients discontinue statin therapy, which in the absence of a suitable replacement leaves these patients at a high risk of heart attacks or strokes. Ankascin red yeast rice is statin-free, and has no reported side effects. Evidence for this safety comes from clinical trials, in which patients receiving Ankascin

MONACOLIN K-FREE RED YEAST RICE Dr. Tzu-Ming Pan is an Emeritus Professor of Biotechnology at the National Taiwan University in Taipei. His research over many years focused on beneficial molecules produced by Monascus and many other plants and bacteria. His lab identified a strain of Monascus that did not make monacolin K, yet surprisingly was able to reduce LDL cholesterol in animal models. After several years of work, Dr. Pan and his group isolated two molecules from red yeast rice that were responsible for this cholesterol lowering effect. These molecules, named monascin and ankaflavin, are chemically very similar (see Figure 4),

Cardiovascular diseases are serious, life-threatening disorders that affect the heart and blood vessels. The Most Common Ones Include the Following Coronary heart disease, which affects the blood vessels serving the heart itself. This leads to heart attacks. Cerebrovascular disease, which affects the blood vessels that supply the brain. This leads to strokes. Hypertension, or high blood pressure, which worsens other forms of cardiovascular disease. Congestive heart failure, which happens when the heart becomes damaged or weakened. According to the World Health Organization, more people die from cardiovascular disease every year than any other natural cause. One in three American adults,

THE GOOD, THE BAD, THE UGLY Red yeast rice is a brick-red power food with medicinal properties and a long history. It is made by fermenting cooked white rice with a species of mold from the Monascus family, then drying the product and grinding it into a fine powder. Red yeast rice has been a staple of traditional Chinese medicine and a food source for over a thousand years. In addition to the vibrant color and rich flavor, Monascus adds many beneficial molecules to the rice. One of the most important additions is monacolin K, and it became the first