(ANSA) - ROME, JULY 21 - Supplements based on natural substances can have side effects against high cholesterol and must be taken with caution.
To reiterate this is a recent circular issued by the Ministry of Health which puts all food supplements used to reduce cholesterol values containing monacolin doses equal to or greater than 3 milligrams per dose out of the market.
This is underlined by Ame, the Association of Endocrinologists, which invites more caution and less do-it-yourself with supplements and natural products.
"Natural" is not always synonymous with "good" for endocrinologists: monacolin K is obtained from red rice and is known as the 'natural statin'. The natural fermentation process of common red cooking rice behind the production of this molecule made it appear for a long time as harmless. But it is important to remember for Ame "that origin is not synonymous with lack of potentially harmful effects.
A natural product can be toxic and harmful in the same way as a chemical drug and it is rather its quantity that is an indication of any critical issues ".
Also no to do-it-yourself treatments.
"Although the adverse effects associated with monacolin do not differ from those associated with other statins - underlines Vincenzo De Geronimo, Coordinator of the Ame Medicines Commission - the easy availability without a doctor's prescription and often also in supermarkets of supplements based on this substance have favored improper use and overdoses of treatments. do-it-yourself, so much so that the European Union, and consequently Italy, decide to limit the dosage ".
At the same time, no excessive concern for those who have taken monacolin to date.
"The ministerial circular - concludes the expert - although it prohibits the sale of products with higher doses of monacolin than those indicated without the possibility for pharmacies to define stocks,
it is not the result of an immediate withdrawal linked to an adverse event but marks a watershed after years of studies and reviews that want to put a stop to incorrect use and reduce risks.
Those who were already using it and have not had adverse effects can eventually and calmly finish the box, but everyone is advised to contact their own doctor ". (ANSA).
