The July, 2008 issue of Mayo Clinic Proceedings published the results of a trial which found that a combination of red yeast rice, fish oil and therapeutic lifestyle changes improved low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol in a manner comparable to the standard treatment of a statin drug combined with diet and lifestyle recommendations.
David J. Becker, MD, of Chestnut Hill Hospital, along with his associates at the University of Pennsylvania randomized 74 men and women to receive 40 milligrams simvastatin per day accompanied by printed materials containing standard diet and exercise recommendations, or an alternative regimen consisting of a daily dose of red yeast rice, six capsules of fish oil per day, and a lifestyle program featuring weekly educational meetings led by a cardiologist, exercise physiologist, dietitian, and alternative practitioners. The alternative treatment group was encouraged to follow a reduced fat, Mediterranean style diet, and to restrict sugar and simple carbohydrates.
Blood samples were tested before and after the three month treatment period for lipids, liver function, and creatine kinase levels (which, when elevated, can indicate muscle toxicity). Participants who received simvastatin experienced a 39.6 percent reduction in LDL cholesterol levels, and those that received the alternative therapies experienced a 42.4 percent decrease. Body weight and triglycerides were reduced to a greater extent by the end of the study in the alternative therapies group compared with those who received simvastatin.
“Our study was designed to test a comprehensive and holistic approach to lipid lowering,” the authors write. “These results are intriguing and show a potential benefit of an alternative, or naturopathic, approach to a common medical condition.”
“Pending confirmation in larger trials, this multifactorial, alternative approach to lipid lowering has promise for a subset of patients unwilling or unable to take statins,” they conclude.
—D Dye
RESOURCE/SOURCE: http://www.lef.org/whatshot/2008_07.htm#Natural-therapies-compare-with-statin-in-cholesterol-study on July 11, 2008.
