The icon for love, empathy, and health will now and always be that cardio-crazed organ sitting in your chest: our heart. This muscle head can’t work out alone and needs us to spot it to keep it pumping. One thing you can try to help your heart perform better is to try a food staple used in East Asian dishes called red yeast rice.
Red Yeast Rice Profile
A tiny but mighty secret to lowering your cholesterol that you can put on your plate comes from red yeast rice. This fermented rice has a beautiful shade of crimson and has been used in many Asian dishes, Chinese medicine, and Western medicine. It can keep triglycerides, LDL, and total cholesterol in order.
On-the-Nose Secret
The plot-twist secret of this grain lies on the surface, particularly the yeast used to ferment the rice. The yeast contains a chemical called monacolin K, and the compound is chemically similar to Lovastatin. The compound prevents a liver enzyme that synthesizes cholesterol and blocks it from functioning.
To Rice or Not to Rice?
Managing your heart health can be vital, and finding the right diet to help support it is key. Symptoms can happen when you start eating red yeast rice, and because the chemical structure is similar to the prescription Lovastatin, it can carry similar risk factors. Know that muscle, kidney, and liver problems can arise if your body does not adapt to the new food. OTC supplements are another way to consume it, but the amount of monacolin K is not guaranteed to be enough to have an effect.
Final Thoughts
Talk to a medical professional in nutrition or your doctor about red yeast rice and monacolin K to have a clear understanding of the side effects. Take their advice to heart because combining certain medications and foods can deal a blow to your health as a whole. Pay attention to your body’s reaction, and be careful when adjusting the portions. Red yeast rice can potentially be good for your heart; however, your heart health won’t improve if the other organs can’t work out either.
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