Chinese condiment cuts blood cholesterol

American Heart Association’s meeting report:

ORLANDO, Fla, March 25...The spice that gives Peking Duck its distinctive red color seems to lower blood cholesterol, two research teams reported at the American Heart Association's epidemiology and prevention meeting.

In a study conducted in China, an extract of the red yeast fermented on rice, which is sold under the name of Cholestin, reduced total blood cholesterol by nearly 26% in elderly patients after eight weeks of treatment, says the study's lead author, Joseph Chang, Ph.D., vice president of clinical affairs at Pharmanex, Inc. The Simi Valley, California, company imports the dietary supplement to the United States.

"Cholestin also reduced "bad" cholesterol or low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL) by 32.8% and decreased by 19.9% triglycerides, a type of blood fat associated with increased risk for heart disease," says Chang.

The average total cholesterol level of study participants was 225 milligrams/deciliter (mg/dL); average LDL was 160 mg/dL and the average triglycerides were 250 mg/dL. LDL is called the "bad" cholesterol because it collects in the blood vessels to form plaque that can block blood flow, triggering a heart attach or stroke. Individuals who did not receive the supplement had reductions of total blood cholesterol and LDL of about 7%, says Chang.

James Rippe, M.D., an associate professor of medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston, reports similar results in a second study that was conducted in 12 Medical Centers and funded by Pharmanex. He reported that after 8 weeks on Cholestin, individuals had a 16.4% drop in total blood cholesterol. There LDL decreased by 21%, and HDL-cholesterol, the "good" cholesterol increased by 14.6%. HDL cholesterol is called "good" cholesterol because it helps remove the "bad" cholesterol from the blood. The average cholesterol levels for this group were 242 mg/dL; average LDL was 158 mg/dL and the average HDL was 50mg/dL.

"In China, the red yeast is known to promote healthy heart function," says Rippe.

He speculated that the differences in results between the Chinese and Boston studies could be due to the fact the Chinese study used more concentrated yeast than found in Cholestin.

"As a natural substance there are hundreds of potentially active ingredients in Cholestin that could have contributed to the cholesterol lowering. Cholestin contains a range of HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors that probably contribute to the effect," Rippe says. "The Chinese study participants received approximately 13.5 milligrams of HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors each day in the Cholestin preparation that they took, while the participants in Boston received about 9.6 mg per day," according to Rippe.

Most of the cholesterol that circulates in the blood does not come from dietary cholesterol but is instead manufactured by the liver. HMG-CoA reductase is an enzyme found in the liver that controls cholesterol production in the body. By inhibiting that enzyme, red yeast reduces the body's cholesterol output, according to Rippe.

"Although red yeast fermented on rice is used to spice traditional Chinese food, such as Peking duck and spareribs, this is not an effective way to consume the substance," says Rippe. "The capsule form of red yeast rice contains a more consistent amount of the active ingredients than the amount people in China obtain from these sources in their diet.

The American Heart Association continues to advise individuals to try to lower high blood cholesterol with a diet that is low in saturated fat and rich in fruit, vegetables and whole grain.

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