Nature's Way HeartSure® Red Yeast Rice+Phytosterols

Red Yeast Rice Extract

Reduces Cholesterol

• According to Natura Sanus, red (yeast) rice extract reduces total cholesterol  levels and lowers the bad cholesterol level through the restriction of the liver's production of cholesterol. It it said to have a compound identical to the prescription drug Mevacor, which contains a cholesterol lowering compound called lovastatin.

Lowering Triglycerides

• The unsaturated fatty acids in red (yeast) rice extract are believed to help to lower triglycerides.

Research has shown that red yeast rice extract (red rice yeast) significantly reduces total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, triglycerides and increases HDL cholesterol. Red yeast rice has been used in China for centuries as both a food and as a medicinal substance.

Phytosterols

Phytosterols may reduce the risk of heart disease by helping to block the absorption of dietary cholesterol.

Studies have shown that daily intake of phytosterols can lower cholesterol levels by an average of 10% to 14%.

Products containing at least 400 mg per serving of plant sterols, taken/eaten twice a day with meals for a daily intake of at least 800 mg, as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol, may reduce the risk of heart disease.  Each serving of this product supplies 400 mg of plant sterols.

What Are They?
Sterols are present naturally in small quantities in many fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, cereals, legumes, vegetable oils and other plant sources. Stanols occur in even smaller quantities in many of the same sources. Phytosterols (plant sterols and stanols) are parts of plant membranes. Why should you care about phytosterols? Research shows a link between consuming phytosterols and lower cholesterol levels. The most common Phytosterols are beta-sitosterol, campesterol and stigmasterol. Humans can not obtain enough Phytosterols from the diet alone, as they begin to break down about eight hours after the plant is harvested. Further processing such as cooking, freezing and preserving destroy most of the Plant Sterols before the foods are eaten. Even in vegetarians, levels of Phytosterols in the blood are not as high as levels of cholesterol. In order to obtain the health benefits of Phytosterols, a highly digestible supplement is required.

Benefit of Phytosterols - Cholesterol Reduction
Phytosterols may be beneficial in lowering cholesterol levels. Because they have very low systemic absorption and are already present in healthy diets, increasing the intake of phytosterols may be a practical way to reduce coronary heart disease with minimum risk. Foods containing phytosterols have been shown to help cut cholesterol, and the US Food and Drug Administration has endorsed these products "as part of a dietary strategy to reduce the risk of coronary heart disease.

What is their role in reducing cholesterol?
Consuming foods with phytosterols may help block the absorption of LDL (bad) cholesterol in your body. In turn, this helps prevent coronary heart disease — which is responsible for 40 percent of all deaths in the United States. Phytosterols do not naturally occur in our bodies, so we need to consume them through the foods we eat.

Ingredients