What are Monacolin K and Ankascin 568-R in Red Yeast Rice? Nutritionist Decrypts

The National Nutrition Survey pointed out that the proportion of high blood lipids in adults over 19 years old is about 10%, and it rises to 20% from middle age. In particular, girls' low-density lipoprotein exceeds that of boys, reaching 21.4%, and increases by nearly 30% when entering the silver stage (65 years old). Therefore, high blood lipids and blood cholesterol have always been health topics that everyone cares about!

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Currently, many consumers buy health foods that regulate blood lipids and blood cholesterol, and red yeast rice is one of the choices! Have you ever seen an advertisement for a well-known brand that said it does not contain monacolin K? What exactly is monacolin K? What are the effects of Ankascin 568-R? How should I choose red yeast rice? Is there anything I should pay attention to? Let the nutritionist explain it to you all at once!

Red yeast strains and fermentation matrix have different health food efficacy ingredients

Traditional red yeast rice food is made by inoculating red yeast rice with rice and then fermenting it.

Red yeast rice has been widely used in food since ancient times. For example, it can be inoculated on rice to turn it into red yeast rice. The color of red yeast rice can be used as a natural pigment and can be further made into red yeast rice. General red yeast rice health foods are made by inoculating specific red yeast rice strains onto rice, which are then further extracted and purified after fermentation to obtain the active ingredients.

Inoculating red yeast rice with yam and rice produces active ingredients different from traditional red yeast rice

The strain and fermentation matrix of red yeast rice will affect the type and concentration of effective substances. Red yeast rice fermented with rice will mainly produce Monacolin K (also known as Monascusin), while purifying a specific strain (Monascus purpureus NTU 568) and inoculating it on yam or fermenting it with rice in a special process can produce Ankascin 568-R, which is an active ingredient different from traditional red yeast rice.

In addition, non-purified strains and uncontrolled fermentation environments may even produce toxic substances or mycotoxins. Therefore, when making red yeast rice into health food, it is very important to pay attention to the source and strain.

Red yeast rice pigment and red yeast rice mycelium are the main active ingredients of red yeast rice that can lower blood lipids and cholesterol

The effect of red yeast rice on lowering blood lipids and cholesterol

As early as 1999, a study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition pointed out that subjects who consumed 2.4 grams of red yeast rice (containing 9.6 mg of monacolins) per day could reduce triglycerides by 12% and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) by about 20%.

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In addition, in a randomized double-blind clinical trial in 2018, patients with mild hyperlipidemia took red yeast rice extract containing Ankascin 568-R. After 8 weeks, total cholesterol decreased by about 10% and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) decreased by nearly 20%.

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In addition to these studies, there are also many clinical trials that have found that red yeast rice has the effect of lowering blood lipids and blood cholesterol. Therefore, the effect of red yeast rice in lowering blood lipids and blood cholesterol is unquestionable, but what ingredients give red yeast rice these health benefits?

Ankascin 568-R and Monacolin K are both effective red yeast rice ingredients.

Monacolin K and Ankascin 568-R claimed by red yeast rice health food are both active ingredients of red yeast rice. Ankasin 568-R is composed of two ingredients, Ankaflavin and Monascin. Some of these red yeast rice ingredients are red yeast pigments, which can make red yeast rice appear red or orange.

Many studies have also pointed out that these red yeast rice pigments give red yeast rice the effect of lowering blood lipids and cholesterol!

Monacolin K regulates blood cholesterol by inhibiting cholesterol synthesis

Monacolin K has the same structure as lovastatin, an old cholesterol-lowering drug. Therefore, like lovastatin, monacolin K achieves the effect of regulating blood cholesterol by inhibiting the liver cholesterol-synthesizing enzyme HMG-CoA reductase.

Ankascin 568-R, which promotes cholesterol and triglyceride metabolism

Ankascin 568-R is produced by fermenting and purifying a special strain of Monascus purpureus NTU 568 in a special process. It contains two ingredients: Monascin and Ankaflavin.

Studies have found that these two red yeast rice pigments can promote the sensitivity of LDL receptors in liver cells, activate the enzyme activity of cholesterol and triglyceride metabolism, accelerate the formation of bile acid and excretion of cholesterol, and achieve the effect of lowering blood cholesterol and triglycerides.

Ankascin 568-R, also has the effect of regulating blood sugar

In addition to regulating blood cholesterol, studies have also found that Ankascin 568-R contained in specific red yeast rice also has the effect of regulating blood sugar. In a small clinical trial published in 2017, the subjects' blood sugar levels ranged from 100-180 mg/dL. After 12 weeks of supplementation with red yeast rice capsules containing Ankascin 568-R, blood sugar levels improved significantly, with fasting blood sugar levels significantly reduced by 9.3%.

In terms of mechanism, the study speculates that Ankascin 568-R may be able to regulate cells' sensitivity to insulin and increase cells' ability to absorb blood sugar, thereby achieving the effect of lowering and regulating blood sugar.

Monacolin K has potential side effects, so be careful when using it with lipid-lowering and cholesterol-lowering drugs

Monacolin K has the same structure as lovastatin, and taking it together increases the risk of side effects

Since the structure of Monacolin K is exactly the same as that of the cholesterol-lowering lovastatin, in addition to lowering blood cholesterol through the same mechanism, it is also metabolized through the same mechanism. Because of the same structure, there may also be a risk of food-drug interaction.

Taking side effects as an example, lovastatin and other statin drugs may cause side effects such as constipation, abdominal pain, muscle discomfort, and the most serious risk is rhabdomyolysis. Therefore, when taking statin drugs at the same time, uncontrolled supplementation of red yeast rice health foods may greatly increase the dosage, thereby increasing the health risks of related side effects.

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Nutritionists recommend the selection principles of red yeast rice health food

Health food certification is the minimum standard for pure "red yeast" health food

In health food certification, in addition to the first-track certification method that requires efficacy testing, red yeast rice health foods can also obtain health food certification through the second track after meeting relevant content standards and conducting ingredient stability tests, without the need for animal or human testing.

This certification method can also confirm that the product is effective, and the threshold is much lower than the first track. So if you want to buy a single "pure red yeast rice" health food, I think the health certification is the minimum standard.

You can choose red yeast rice products with multiple health food certifications

Since metabolic problems such as blood lipids and blood cholesterol often occur in people over 30 years old, and blood sugar problems gradually appear at this age, the National Nutrition Survey found that the proportion of adults with blood sugar intolerance reached 31.1%. After women reached 45 years old, the proportion also increased from 9.7% to 32.9%.

Therefore, nutritionists recommend that when purchasing red yeast rice health foods, in addition to choosing those with health certification, you can also pay attention to whether there are more health certifications, such as: regulating blood sugar, etc., so that you can get two health benefits at one time.

If you are taking lipid-lowering drugs, please consult your doctor and choose red yeast rice that does not contain Monacolin K.

Health foods are mainly used to delay the sub-healthy people who have not yet become ill from reaching the standard of illness. For those who are already ill, the most important thing is to control their diet and seek medical treatment. Health foods are used as a supplement, but the supplement should not cause a burden!

Many people who buy red yeast rice health foods may already be patients with hyperlipidemia or high blood cholesterol. "Statin drugs" are very common lipid-lowering drugs, but people may not know much about the drugs. Therefore, it is recommended that when using lipid-lowering drugs in combination, you can consult a doctor whether you can use red yeast rice health foods at the same time.

In addition, because it is monacolin K that interacts with statins, you can choose red yeast rice health foods that do not contain monacolin K but are mainly composed of active ingredients such as ankaflavin and monascin, which can reduce the risk of side effects from drug interactions.

Finally, nutritionists still remind us that health foods are mainly used to assist and promote health. The most important thing is to control your diet. When you have reached the stage of hyperlipidemia or hypercholesterolemia, you should seek medical attention and cooperate with the doctor. This way, the combination of related health foods will be more effective!

This article is from "Good Food Class" by nutritionist Lin Shihang