Maintaining an optimal LDL cholesterol level is an important component of maintaining good cardiovascular health. Numerous studies in China and the United States have concluded that preparations of red yeast rice help to maintain blood cholesterol levels already in the normal range. Choleast-900 contains Monascus purpureus, a red-pigmented yeast grown on rice. It also contains consistent amounts of the naturally-occurring monacolins found in red yeast rice– without standardization or fortification – along with the phytosterols beta-sitosterol, campesterol, and stigmasterol, as well as isoflavones and trace minerals, all of which can contribute to good cardiovascular health. With 50-percent more red yeast rice than our Choleast product, Choleast-900 requires fewer capsules for easier supplementation.
Natural management of healthy cholesterol levels should involve dietary and lifestyle modifications, including a healthy, whole foods diet (one size does not fit all) and aerobic exercise. The same enzymes involved in the synthesis of cholesterol are also involved in the synthesis of coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10). Thus, to help maintain normal levels of CoQ10, we recommend also supplementing daily with Q-Best 100.
Red yeast rice is obtained by a well-known process that ferments rice. One of the natural by-products of the rice fermentation process is citrinin, which is a mycotoxin. Although the sophisticated fermentation process used by our supplier results in a very low amount of citrinin being produced as a by-product, because mycotoxins can cause inflammation and other adverse effects in the body, we provide our practitioner-customers and their patients with the assurance that Thorne’s two red yeast rice products contain only a minimal, yet acceptable amount of citrinin.
