• Hobbs T

• Cardiovascular Diseases / prevention and control
• Cholesterol, LDL
• Dietary Supplements
• Hypercholesterolemia / therapy

Abstract: Recent changes in usage guidelines have created the potential for millions more Americans to be prescribed statin medications. Caution should be advised because the risk of adverse effects of statins may outweigh their benefits and preclude their preventive use for patients without confirmed cardiovascular disease (CVD) who present with elevated blood lipids. However, statins have shown some benefit in primary CVD prevention. Red yeast rice (RYR) is a dietary supplement that has been demonstrated to reduce low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels in blood and omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids have been shown to reduce blood levels of triglycerides (TGs). Although effective, quality control issues aggravate risk of adverse effects for both of these supplements. Furthermore, low dosages per capsule, which require patients to manage and consume many capsules per day, also may reduce patient compliance to supplementation regimens.

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