Clinical studies have shown that red yeast rice, an all-natural by-product of a Chinese delicacy, may provide therapeutic benefits for optimal cholesterol health. This compound contains a variety of ingredients, such as fiber, rice starch and fatty acids, as well as the active constituents monacolin and mevinolin, which may reduce harmful levels of both cholesterol and triglycerides, while also raising levels of "good" cholesterol. NSI® Red Yeast Rice supplies these benefits in one convenient daily capsule.

Red yeast rice (Monascus purpureus) has been used by Chinese cultures as both a food and medicine for thousands of years, and was long praised for its benefits for circulation, digestion, and abdominal pain. Red yeast rice is the by-product formed when cooked non-glutinous (less likely to have the grains stick together) rice is covered by a growth of red yeast, and then undergoes the process of fermentation.

While a majority of the body's cholesterol is produced in the liver, red yeast rice has been shown to effectively restrict the livers' production. However, this herbal compound also contains a variety of ingredients and active constituents that have been shown in studies to impart healthful cholesterol benefits. One active constituent, monacolin K, may effectively stop a key liver enzyme from producing cholesterol. A study published in 1997 in the journal Current Therapeutic Research found that men and women taking 13.5 mg total monacolins (about 1.2 grams) of concentrated red yeast rice daily for two months showed significant decreases in serum (blood) cholesterol levels. A UCLA School of Medicine clinical trial found that supplementation of about 10 mg total monacolins (2.4 grams) daily of red yeast rice for 12 weeks significantly decreased total and LDL ("bad") cholesterol levels, as well as triglycerides in a sample of people with elevated cholesterol.

Another cholesterol-boosting ingredient in red yeast rice, the compound known as mevinolin, has also been shown to offer antioxidant properties. In addition, the cholesterol benefits of red yeast rice may be due to its large amounts of such ingredients as fiber, rice starch, sterols, and fatty acids, all of which have been shown to decrease harmful levels of cholesterol and triglycerides, while also raising levels of HDL ("good") cholesterol. Red Yeast Rice may lower Coenzyme Q10 levels similar to statin cholesterol lowering drugs and it is recommended that you consume at least 100 mg per day of CoQ10 supplements that may provide other cardiovascular benefits as well.