A group of Pennsylvania researchers have found that fish oil and red yeast rice reduce cholesterol better than statin drugs. The medical profession pushes statin drugs believing they can help prevent cardiovascular disease, and are now considering prescribing them to children as young as eight. But many patients refuse to take them, either because they don’t believe they are safe or because of their high cost. As many as 40 percent of patients who receive prescriptions for statin drugs take them for less than a year.
The researchers explored the theory that high blood cholesterol could be treated by fish oil and red yeast rice, two substances reputed to lower cholesterol safely and inexpensively. They divided patients with high cholesterol levels into two groups. The first group received both fish oil and red yeast rice for three months. They also participated in a multidisciplinary lifestyle program that included meetings with experts on nutrition, exercise, and relaxation. The second group received Zocor, a standard statin drug, as well as printed material about lifestyle and exercise recommendations.
At the end of three months, both groups showed a reduction in LDL (bad) cholesterol levels. But while the statin group saw a 39.6 reduction, the group taking fish oil and red yeast rice enjoyed a 42.4 reduction!
The alternative group also experienced a substantial reduction in triglycerides and lost more weight than the statin group.
“Our study was designed to test a comprehensive and holistic approach to lipid lowering,” said the study’s lead author, David Becker, a 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.”
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