Thanks for blogging on this extremely important topic. The news coverage of this story was REALLY garbled.

Here's a related question. Have you seen anything about the purity of the Vitamin D being sold in oil capsules. As enthusiastic as I am about it--I've had my levels measured and the supplementation has definitely raise them, I'm concerned about what contaminants might be in the pills since they all come from those Chinese factories full of adulterants.

Any data on this?

One possible explanation as to why someone would purchase a supplement rather than a prescription drug is that the person has no health insurance and cannot afford or find a doctor who will write the prescription required for the drug.

Of course, it is worth mentioning that lovastatin  originates naturally in RYR, and only became a drug courtesy of big pharma reinvention and patents?
MikeV

My cardiologist recommended I try Red Yeast Rice, as an alternative to Zocor, just to see if it can raise my HDL some and possibly push my LDL/Triglycerides down a little (they are already normal).

Several weeks ago there was an article in regard to a major Chinese study on RYR - http://www.theheart.org/article/875035.do

They used a specific type of RYR, Xuezhikang. The data from this study showed that RYR had better results than statins (In Western studies) in preventing a repeat heart attack. There was also a lower risk of mortality and cancer (which is rare to see in any statin study).

And it is theorized that the non-statin components of RYR is why there is such a benefit. Most RYR studies have shown than the lovastatin dosage can be really small, yet have an equivalent or greater effect than a normal dosing of a statin. Lower dosage = less side effects, which is why many people prefer trying RYR over statins.

As for the consumer labs report, are you allowed to post some of the brands that passed the test at least? Or several that didn't? I am currently trying RYR from Thorne, as they supposedly have good testing labs and also source their RYR from the US. But there is no actual way for me to know how good or bad their RYR is...

If mainstream method cholesterol lowering is poisonous via supplemental or pharmacuetical methods, it shows that essentially this is slow poison. Not meant to be!

As a physician and advocate for self-care and an integrative approach toward managing your health, I totally agree with your perspective.   Why take a nutritional supplement that contains similar family of compounds "HMG Co-A Reductase Inhibitors" when all that you get is additional risk due to quality assurance problems. A recent study published in the Mayo Clinic Proceedings actually showed that lifestyle change + RYR was as good as high dose Zocor in lowering LDL cholesterol, and ensured greater weight loss than Zocor.   Many people then assumed that RYR was the way to go because it’s ‘less toxic’—as I wrote in my blog, in my view, this is the wrong conclusion.  

http://www.revolutionhealth.com/blogs/bradlyjacobsmdmph/lifestyle-and-herb-as-14623

I just received my NMR lipoprofile results and I am not sure what to look for in the numbers.  Any help would be appreciated:

LDL-P           584
Small LDL-P     242
Chol Total      121
LDL-C           52 (FASTING)
HDL-C           51
Triglycerdes    91
LDL particle size 21.8
large HDL-P     10.8
large VHDL-P     0.7

I am a type 2 diabetic and not taking any medicine for it and lost 80 lbs over the years.

I was surprised that no one has mentioned anything in this blog about the total phytochemistry of Red Yeast Rice, where the deep red purple color of the extract may ahve something to do with its bioactivity, and how it was used in TCM (traditional Chinese medicine) many years before Lovastatin was sold as drug for blood stasis (this means in TCM thickened blood that clots easily). Red Yeast Rice is known to contain a phytochemical array of flavonoids, phytosterols, and other monacolins besides the K. The flavonoids are the compounds that give RYR the reddish-purple pigment color. A wide array of flavonoids from many sources are known to modulate both cholesterol and lipid metabolism, while having blood thinning effects and being able to decrease smooth muscle cell growth of the arterial vessels (see grapefruit flavonoids and cholesterol lowering studies). Phytosterols are known to have cholesterol lowering effects. Other monacolins are in RRY and FDA even has allowed or not objected to the use of another type of monacolin (J) from Red Yeast Rice to be considered for use as a dietary supplement according to a letter submitted to the agency. It could be that the synergy of all of these components could be working to lower cholesterol. A side note is that the edible Oyster mushroom contains monacolin K and is considered a lipid lowering botanical with safe, food use.

In effect, red yeast rice IS a statin drug, albeit a highly variable and weak one. Although readers of The Heart Scan Blog know that I am a big fan of nutritional supplements and self-empowerment in health, I am a bigger fan of truth. I despise B--- S---- of the sort that emits from some nutritional supplement manufacturers and drug companies

Dr. Davis, I don't see many comments from readers on a day to day basis, but I want you to know I don't miss a word you have to say.

I love reading what you're saying about wheat.  I was just diagnosed with gluten intolerance and getting off wheat (all grains really) has changed my life in so many positive ways.  It has helped my brain, my intestines, my skin and hopefully it'll keep me from developing additional autoimmune diseases in the future!  

I just wish it weren't so darned hard to live in the US today without having wheat pushed at you everywhere.

Nancy--
On the positive side, I often regard gluten intolerance as a blessing in disguise, provided the diagnosis is made early. People I've met with gluten intolerance tend to otherwise be healthy and slender due to avoiding wheat products.