Good for your cholesterol levels

StatiQinon are capsules  containing a new formula that effectively combines the action of red yeast rice with co-enzyme Q10 and ALA (alpha-linolenic acid). ALA is an essential fatty acid that contributes to the maintenance of normal blood cholesterol concentrations*.

*min. 450 mg of ALA a day

Red yeast rice is a product made of the yeast Monascus purpureus which have been cultured on rice. This process produces a strong red colour. Red yeast rice contains 14 active compounds called monacolins. One of the monacolins (monacolin K) is able to effectively block the enzyme HMG-CoA reductase which is a step in the process leading to the production of both cholesterol and coenzyme Q10 in the body. Monacolin K contributes to the maintenance of normal blood cholesterol levels*.
Red yeast rice also contains unsaturated fatty acids and phytosterols.

*min. 10 mg of Monacolin K a day.

Statins are a class of cholesterol-lowering drugs that work by inhibiting the enzyme HMG-CoA reductase, which plays a central role in the liver’s synthesis of cholesterol. There are many different types of statins, some with a more potent LDL-lowering effect than others.

What are natural statins?

Statins are synthetically manufactured drugs intended for lowering cholesterol, but there are also naturally occurring statins. For instance, the oyster mushroom naturally contains lovastatin. Lovastatin is also found naturally in red yeast rice. Randomized clinical trials have found natural statins to be both effective and well tolerated - also in most individuals who do not tolerate synthetic cholesterol lowering drugs.

How do statins work? 

Statins inhibit the enzyme HGM-CoA reductase and its ability to produce mevalonate, which is an intermediate product in the multi-step synthesis of cholesterol. In what is often referred to as the mevalonate pathway, mevalonate would under normal circumstances undergo a number of biochemical transformations, eventually causing it to branch into several different compounds, including cholesterol dolichol and ubiquinone. Statins effectively block this process. 

ALA is short for ”alpha-linolenic acid”, a type of omega-3 fatty acid that is found in plants. ALA is an essential fatty acid meaning that it can't be produced by the body but must be obtained through the diet. Dietary sources for ALA include flaxseed, canola, soy, and walnuts. ALA is effective for maintaining normal cholesterol levels. Dietary ALA decreases circulating cholesterol, and increases cholesterol efflux in foam cells.

Coenzyme Q10 (or just Q10) is a vitamin-like substance . It's also called ubiqinon (ubi is Latin and means ”everywhere”). Cellular energy production is achieved by the cells converting fat, carbohydrate including alcohol, and protein into ATP (adenosine triphosphate), a molecule that stores energy in its chemical form. The cell breaks down the ATP molecule and releases the energy trapped inside. The entire process takes place inside the cells in some small bean-shaped structures called mitochondria. In all mitochondria coenzyme Q10 is found. Muscle cells are particularly dependent on large amounts of energy, which is why muscle cells contain substantially more mitochondria than other types of cells. The heart muscle is a good example of body tissue with cells that contain a large number of mitochondria and have a correspondingly large energy requirement.

Atorvastatin decreases the coenzyme Q10 level in the blood of patients.
Ref. Arch. Neurol. 2004 Jun;61(6): 889-92.