Red Yeast Rice products vary widely in dosages and safety

According to a recent test of ten brands of red yeast rice supplements, the amounts of lovastatin and other monacolins in the supplements varied tremendously. Although each product promised 600 mg of red yeast rice per pill, the combined amount of lovastatin and its hydroxy acid form varied by more than one hundred-fold -- from as little as 0.1 mg per pill to 10.6 mg per pill in one, suggesting unusual preparation methods or that lovastatin may have been added.

A potential toxin, citrinin, was found in four of the ten supplements.

The testing was performed by independent Lab consumerlab.com.

Steve - let's be clear and say that red yeast rice is categorically the natural form of a group of synthetic cholesterol drugs called statins. While the case in most supplement brands, we cannot be positive that the raw material manufacturers are not adding synthetic statins to these supplements, which is a very scary proposition. Natural or not, statins in all forms come with side effects, sometimes severe. Red Yeast Rice should never be taken unless under the direct supervision of a licensed health professional.