Dr. Tzu-Ming Pan is an Emeritus Professor of Biotechnology at the National Taiwan University in Taipei. His research over many years focused on beneficial molecules produced by Monascus and many other plants and bacteria. His lab identified a strain of Monascus that did not make monacolin K, yet surprisingly was able to reduce LDL cholesterol in animal models.
Figure 4. The Monascus strain used to make Ankascin (A), and the chemical structures of Monascin (B) and Ankaflavin (C).
After several years of work, Dr. Pan and his group isolated two molecules from red yeast rice that were responsible for this cholesterol lowering effect. These molecules, named monascin and ankaflavin, are chemically very similar (see Figure 4), suggesting that they function in similar or complementary cellular pathways. In fact, they turned out to have other remarkable properties: not only could monascin and ankaflavin lower LDL cholesterol levels in the blood, they also helped in the management of blood pressure, blood sugar, and Alzheimer’s disease.
Dr. Pan’s group and others have published almost 100 research papers in the last 10 years that reported these findings. The red yeast rice extract they produced was called Ankascin 568-R. It is enriched with monascin and ankaflavin, and its safety and efficacy have been demonstrated in several clinical trials for different treatment conditions.
This data led to the inclusion of Ankascin in the FDA’s list of New Dietary Ingredients that are reasonably expected to be safe14. It also received approval for sale by Health Canada’s Natural and Non-Prescription Health Products Directorate. As a supplement that is free of both monacolin K and citrinin, it is safe and effective for both short and long term use.
NOT ONLY COULD MONASCIN AND ANKAFLAVIN LOWER LDL CHOLESTEROL LEVELS IN THE BLOOD, THEY ALSO HELPED IN THE MANAGEMENT OF BLOOD PRESSURE, BLOOD SUGAR, AND ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE.
Magnesium is an extremely important mineral for proper muscle function in any population. However, its importance for athletic performance is proving to be monumental! A few years back, researchers studied levels of dietary magnesium intake in elite basketball, handball and volleyball players. Analyses of this group found that there was a direct relationship between magnesium intake and improved athletic markers such as jumping performance and strength tests (more magnesium leads to better outcomes). These findings were independent of total caloric intake or other dietary factors such as protein intake. As a note, the average intake of magnesium in these elite
We sat down with AOR’s founder and director of research Dr. Traj Nibber to gain some insights into AOR from the man who started it all. 1 . What is your educational background, and what made you decide to become a scientist? I have a BSc in Pharmaceutical Sciences with hospital experience (clinical pharmacy) from the University of Aston, UK, an MSc in toxicology from the University of Birmingham, UK and a PhD in histopathology specializing in surgical pathology from University of London, UK.My interest has always been in research. Unlike pharmaceutical research which takes 15-20 years to bring a
Menopausal women searching for safe and effective alternatives to hormone replacement therapy (HRT) will inevitably come across “phytoestrogens”, either in their whole food form or as a concentrated extract in a supplement. But what exactly are phytoestrogens and how do they work in the human body? Are they even safe? Many answers remain unknown to the general public and the literature can offer mixed results as well. Let’s clear up some of the confusion. The term “phytoestrogen” can literally be translated into “plant estrogen”. In the 1950’s, this estrogenic activity was discovered in plants when researchers investigated the cause of
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