Toxicity Red Fermented Rice
This regulation states that there must not be a quantity of molacolin K greater than 10mg!
BUT IS RED FERMENTED RICE REALLY TOXIC?
Riporto i dati dell’Istituto superiore di sanità italiano e precisamente del Dipartimento di Fitovigilanza:
From April 2002 to September 2015, out of a total of 1261 reports, 52 reports, relating to 55 adverse reactions, concerned supplements based on red yeast rice. Specifically, the reported reactions consisted of:
- myalgia and/or increased creatine phosphokinase (19)
- rhabdomyolysis (1)
- gastrointestinal reactions (12)
- liver damage (10)
- skin reactions (9)
- other types of reactions (4).
L’età media dei 52 soggetti era di 64 anni, il 70% erano donne; in 13 casi (25%) la reazione ha richiesto il ricovero in ospedale e 28 pazienti (54%) stavano assumendo farmaci. La valutazione della relazione causale (cioè la probabilità dell’associazione tra reazione avversa e prodotto assunto) è risultata certain in 1 case, likely in 31 cases, possible at 18, unlikely in 3 e not evaluable in 2 cases.
The report shows that there are only 1 cases directly connected to ascertained phenomena of toxicity to red fermented rice, while others are divided into possible and probable, therefore not certain.
Paul Pellini Herbochemist Profession Pharmacognostic and Cytotoxicological Research on Plant Extracts of Medicinal Plants
Scientific Director and Founder of Cytotoxicology Research Italy
http://www.paolopelinierbochimico.it
Received in the editorial staff on 10 September 2022
Editor's note: Red yeast rice is obtained by fermenting raw rice with yeasts, mainly with Monascus purpureus : grazie all’azione di quest’ultimo il riso si arricchisce di una sostanza, la Monacolina K, dimostratasi efficace nel ridurre i livelli ematici di colesterolo.
European regulation monacolins from fermented red rice
EFSA opinion on the safety of monacolin K in red yeast rice (2018)