What Is CoQ10 Rice Used For?

Manufacturers of health supplements market a product made from red rice yeast, a traditional Chinese nutritional food, and the antioxidant compound co-enzyme Q-10 (CoQ10) for the treatment of high cholesterol.

History

• According to the Mayo Clinic, red rice yeast has been used in China since at least 800 A.D. and was used for blood circulation as well as digestive problems. CoQ10 is an antioxidant compound that is produced by the human body but declines as we age.

Red Rice Yeast

• A study published in the journal "Current Therapeutic Research" in December 1997 by Junxian Wang and a team of Chinese researchers found that an extract of red rice yeast was able to significantly decrease both total serum cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL) in human subjects.

CoQ10

• A study published in the journal "Clinical Biochemistry" in August 2004 by Ayfer Yalcin and a team of Turkish researchers found that patients with coronary artery disease had lower ratios of CoQ10 to LDL than did a control group.

Significance

• Supplements containing red rice yeast and CoQ10 may have beneficial effects on cholesterol and coronary health, based on the studies mentioned above.

Warning

• According to the Mayo Clinic, supplements purchased over the Internet or by other unregulated means might not be standardized to contain sufficient amounts of the active ingredients and might not have predictable effects.