“As this case demonstrates, red yeast rice supplement has the potential to cause severe adverse effects, such as acute liver injury,” said the authors.
And they warn that these effects “are difficult to pre-empt, in part because the concentration of monacolin K in red yeast rice is not regulated”.
As such, they call for more regulation of supplements to prevent harmful side effects.
“Supplements are not necessarily safer than prescription medications, and physicians and patients should research their adverse effect profile before using them or approving their use,” they concluded.
Discussion about this post