Longevity ⇒ Statins: Are there natural forms of statins?

[canadahealthy]

I have been doing a cursory search on statins.

Whenever i find a list of foods that contain statins, the source is, well dubious (i.e. not scholarly)

For example, a website called Healthline lists 4, but doesn't actually state they contain real statins:

1. Red yeast rice
2. Psyllium
3. Fenugreek
4. Fish oil

https://www.healthline.com/health/high- ... al-statins

So, are there any herbal or dietary statins?

[Newage]

I’m led to believe that the four food sources that you have listed supposedly have the ability to decrease cholesterol levels. I have specifically heard of positive reports about Red Yeast Rice.
I’m not sure if they work by the same method as prescription statins or if they actually contain some form of “natural” statin..

[CeeJayBee]

I didn't see indications that these foods contained statins, but rather that they shared some factor with a real statin.

I think it is quite easy to get on Lipitor (Atorvastatin ) and it is very inexpensive. If your cholesterol and triglycerides were normal, you could take minimal doses and thus get the telomere lengthening effect.

[Drdavid]

I have been doing a cursory search on statins.

Whenever i find a list of foods that contain statins, the source is, well dubious (i.e. not scholarly)

For example, a website called Healthline lists 4, but doesn't actually state they contain real statins:

1. Red yeast rice
2. Psyllium
3. Fenugreek
4. Fish oil

https://www.healthline.com/health/high- ... al-statins

So, are there any herbal or dietary statins?

Take a look at this article:

Foods. 2017 Mar; 6(3): 19.
Published online 2017 Mar 1. doi: 10.3390/foods6030019
PMCID: PMC5368538
PMID: 28257063
Red Yeast Rice
Thu Nguyen,1,* Mitchell Karl,1 and Antonello Santini2
Christopher J. Smith, Academic Editor

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5368538/

[drkris69]

Ive been taking red yeast rice with niacin at the dose of 2400mg RYR, and 1000mg Niacin and been able to bring my cholesterol down from 284 to 186 in a matter of 6 mos. so I know personally that this combo works. Thanks for the post everyone.

[CeeJayBee]

I have been doing a cursory search on statins.

Whenever i find a list of foods that contain statins, the source is, well dubious (i.e. not scholarly)

For example, a website called Healthline lists 4, but doesn't actually state they contain real statins:

1. Red yeast rice
2. Psyllium
3. Fenugreek
4. Fish oil

https://www.healthline.com/health/high- ... al-statins

So, are there any herbal or dietary statins?

Take a look at this article:

Foods. 2017 Mar; 6(3): 19.
Published online 2017 Mar 1. doi: 10.3390/foods6030019
PMCID: PMC5368538
PMID: 28257063
Red Yeast Rice
Thu Nguyen,1,* Mitchell Karl,1 and Antonello Santini2
Christopher J. Smith, Academic Editor

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5368538/

Great article.

So it appears that Red Yeast Rice has a molecule that is identical to lovastatin, but there are risks of mycotoxins if the Yeast isn't made perfectly.

Considering how easy it is to get on a statin, i don't think this is worth the risk, IMHO.

[CeeJayBee]

The relevent portion i am speaking of:

Adverse effects of RYR include gastrointestinal effects and may cause myopathy, hepatotoxicity, rhabdomyolysis, and anaphylaxis similar to the use of statins [9,12]. The mycotoxin citrinin, found in poorly produced RYR products, can pose a health risk as it may be mutagenic as found in animal models, genotoxic to human lymphocytes, and can cause kidney failure in animals, although acute toxicity is a rare event [13,14,15,16]. Furthermore, drug-herb interactions can potentially be harmful. Statins are metabolized by Cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes, and the administration of RYR with CYP enzyme inhibitors (e.g., ketoconazole, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) protease inhibitors, erythromycin) can lead to worsening undesirable adverse effects, such as myopathy [5,17]. Nonetheless, the clinical studies that showed the effectiveness of RYR in dyslipidemia also demonstrated that it is a relatively safe product [7,18].

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5368538/

I am not saying these are common, but the risks can be pretty serious, and something like Lipitor (Atorvastatin) is probably safer.

[Drdavid]

The relevent portion i am speaking of:

Adverse effects of RYR include gastrointestinal effects and may cause myopathy, hepatotoxicity, rhabdomyolysis, and anaphylaxis similar to the use of statins [9,12]. The mycotoxin citrinin, found in poorly produced RYR products, can pose a health risk as it may be mutagenic as found in animal models, genotoxic to human lymphocytes, and can cause kidney failure in animals, although acute toxicity is a rare event [13,14,15,16]. Furthermore, drug-herb interactions can potentially be harmful. Statins are metabolized by Cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes, and the administration of RYR with CYP enzyme inhibitors (e.g., ketoconazole, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) protease inhibitors, erythromycin) can lead to worsening undesirable adverse effects, such as myopathy [5,17]. Nonetheless, the clinical studies that showed the effectiveness of RYR in dyslipidemia also demonstrated that it is a relatively safe product [7,18].

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5368538/

I am not saying these are common, but the risks can be pretty serious, and something like Lipitor (Atorvastatin) is probably safer.

You might want to take a look at this article.
Acta Cardiol Sin. 2016 Nov; 32(6): 631–639.
doi: 10.6515/ACS20160611A
PMCID: PMC5126440
PMID: 27899849
Statin Therapy: Review of Safety and Potential Side Effects
Satish Ramkumar, Ajay Raghunath, and Sudhakshini Raghunath

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5126440/

[drkris69]

Great follow-up article DrDavid, thanks.

[clutchless]

New member although I have been an Alive by Nature (Science) customer for almost a year.

Dr. Greger of the "How Not to Die" Book posted a science-backed video claiming that Amla powder which is dried Indian Gooseberry and also known as Amalaki works as well as statins.  


https://nutritionfacts.org/video/amla-v ... -thinning/