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# Cholesterol lowering supplement helps breast cancer patients on hormone therapy
- URL: https://www.foodconsumer.org/cholesterol_breast_cancer_hormone_therapy_0930121044/
- Published: 2012-09-30T11:43:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-22T16:09:24.000Z
- Description: Twenty-one breast cancer patients on hormone therapy followed three months of diet, then three months of a berberine and red yeast rice supplement. Diet alone cut total cholesterol, LDL and triglycerides by 1.8, 3.1 and 2.3 percent; adding the supplement, by 15.3, 18.9 and 36.5 percent.
- Author: Food Consumer
- Tags: Supplements, Nutrition, #vivvo-import

By David Liu, PHD

Sunday Sept 30, 2012 ([foodconsumer.org](http://www.foodconsumer.org/)) -- Taking a cholesterol lowering supplement made mainly of Berberine and red yeast rice helps breast cancer patients on hormone therapy to better manage cholesterol levels, according to a study in Minerva Ginecologica.

The study led by M. Zanardi of Presidio Ospedaliero Torino Nord Emergenza San Giovanni Bosco in Turin, Italy and colleagues showed taking the red yeast rice supplement significantly improved lipid profile in patients on hormone therapy after treatment of breast cancer.

Enrolled in the study were twenty one patients aged 60 years on average using hormone therapy after breast cancer treatment. Subjects had a mean body mass index of 28.9 kg/m2, waist circumference of 95.9 cm and total cholesterol of 269 mg/dL, high -density lipoprotein cholesterol 54.9 mg/dL, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol 184.0 mg/dL, and triglycerides 263.3 mg/dL.

For the study, breast cancer patients followed a diet for three months and then followed the supplementation regimen (1 tablet per day) for another three months. The supplement contained "berberine 500 mg, red yeast rice extract 200 mg (equivalent to 3 mg monacolins), policosanol 10 mg, folic acid 0.2 mg, coenzyme Q10 2 mg, and asthaxantin 0.5 mg," according to the report.

In the breast cancer patients, the diet lowered total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, triglycerides by 1.8, 3.1 and 2.3% respectively, compared to 15.3, 18.9 and 36.5% respectively for using the cholesterol lowering dietary supplement.

The researchers concluded "Adequate life style therapy is effective in reducing, but not in normalizing, the lipid profile in patients on hormone-therapy following breast cancer. The use of natural nutraceuticals as AP (the supplement), combined with diet, leads to a good therapeutic response and optimal acceptance by the patients."

Both berberine and red yeast rice have been proved to be very effective in lowering cholesterol in previous studies. Their efficacy can be at least similar to if not better than the efficacy of statins.