It is a dietary supplement for cholesterol. 80 people died and many were hospitalized.
Behind the death of 76 peopleThe company of Japan Kobayashi Pharmaceutical will open an investigation into the reasons since they would be related to the consumption of dietary supplements against cholesterol. The deaths are added to four others that occurred in April.
In addition to the deathsmany people who had consumed the same dietary supplements were also hospitalized. They contain red yeast rice and is believed to cause kidney problems.
Adverse effects of dietary supplement
The pharmaceutical company issued a statement after the news was made public and indicated that “although the direct cause of hospitalization or death is not kidney disease,” it has “become clear” that, in some cases, The consumption of these products has had “indirect” adverse repercussions on the health status of several people.
For his part, an agent of the Japan Ministry of Health He maintained that the causes of the deaths have not yet been verified by doctors, so it is possible that the final number of deaths decreases.
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One of the ingredients that the dietary supplement against cholesterol has is red yeast rice (called “beni koji” in that country) and has been used for centuries in food, alcoholic beverages and traditional Chinese medicine for its digestive virtues and because it improves blood circulation. Yeast contains a natural statin called monacolin Kwhich is capable of inhibit cholesterol synthesis.
The company’s position
The company of Osakain the west of Japanhad medical information about the problem with the product since January 15, however, announced the recall of three product lines in March.
A Japanese government spokesperson, Yoshimasa Hayashisaid that until now the company “had not reported the precise number of cases examined, which is extremely regrettable”, while the Ministry of Health ordered it to daily report on its internal investigation.
Source: Ambito
