New research has found that heart patients who are unable or unwilling to tolerate a statin drug to lower their cholesterol levels may get just as much benefit from a Chinese supplement which can be purchased from a local grocery store.

Chinese red yeast rice extract is a natural source of an active ingredient present in many statin drugs, called lovastatin.

A study of 5,000 Chinese heart attack patients found that those taking red yeast rice pills cut their risk of repeat heart attacks by nearly one half. These patients also reduced their chances of having a heart procedure, such as bypass surgery or angioplasty, and their risk of dying from cancer was reduced by as much as two-thirds.