Lowering Blood Cholesterol With Fish Oil And Red Yeast Rice Instead Of Statins

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Lowering Blood Cholesterol With Fish Oil And Red Yeast Rice Instead Of Statins

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/07/080708122441.htm

A great deal of scientific evidence shows that cholesterol-reducing medications

known as statins can help prevent coronary artery disease. Although the safety

of these medications has been well documented, as many as 40 percent of patients

who receive a prescription for statins take the drug for less than one year.

Doctors believe that several factors -- including cost, adverse effects, poor

understanding of statin benefits and patients' reluctance to take prescription

medications long term -- may explain why some patients stop taking these

medicines. In the July issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings, a group of researchers

from Pennsylvania examine whether an alternative approach to treating high blood

cholesterol may provide an effective treatment option for patients who are

unable or unwilling to take statins.

Study design

Researchers followed 74 patients with high blood cholesterol who met standard

criteria for using statin therapy. Patients were randomly assigned to either the

alternative treatment group or the statin group and followed for three months.

The alternative treatment group participants received daily fish oil and red

yeast rice supplements, and they were enrolled in a 12-week multidisciplinary

lifestyle program that involved weekly 3.5-hour educational meetings led by a

cardiologist, dietitian, exercise physiologist and several alternative or

relaxation practitioners. Red yeast rice is the product of yeast grown on rice.

A dietary staple in some Asian countries, it contains several compounds known to

inhibit cholesterol production.

The statin group participants received 40 milligrams (mg) of Zocor (simvastatin)

daily, as well as printed materials about diet and exercise recommendations. At

the end of the three-month period, participants from both groups underwent blood

cholesterol testing to determine the percentage change in LDL cholesterol.

Results

The researchers noted that there was a reduction in LDL cholesterol levels in

both groups. The alternative treatment group experienced a 42.4 percent

reduction, and the statin group experienced a 39.6 percent reduction. Members of

the alternative therapy group also had a substantial reduction in triglycerides,

another form of fat found in the blood, and lost more weight.

" Our study was designed to test a comprehensive and holistic approach to lipid

lowering, " notes the study's lead author, Becker, M.D., a Chestnut Hill

Hospital and University of Pennsylvania Health System cardiologist. " These

results are intriguing and show a potential benefit of an alternative, or

naturopathic, approach to a common medical condition. "

Dr. Becker acknowledges that a larger, multicenter trial with longer follow-up

is necessary to determine long-term compliance with the alternative regimen,

because previous studies involving diet and exercise have found a high rate of

patients unable or unwilling to follow lifestyle recommendations.

" The excellent adherence in the alternative group was undoubtedly related to the

intensive follow-up, education and support provided for this group, " says Dr.

Becker.

Other authors of this article include: Ram Gordon, M.D., Patti , and

Yorko, M.Ed., from Chestnut Hill Hospital and the University of

Pennsylvania Health System; Y. Jerold Gordon, M.D., from the University of

Pittsburgh School of Medicine; Mingyao Li, Ph.D., from the University of

Pennsylvania School of Medicine; and Nayyar Iqbal, M.D., from the Philadelphia

VA Medical Center/University of Pennsylvania.