news

interviewed experts: lai yongji, deputy director and pharmacist of the pharmacy department of wuhan central hospital, and feng qilin, chief pharmacist

li zhenyu, reporter of global times health client

recently, the ministry of health, labour and welfare of japan announced the results of an investigation into incidents of health damage caused by kobayashi pharmaceutical products. experiments have confirmed that penicillic acid detected in the raw materials of kobayashi pharmaceutical's health products containing red yeast rice ingredients is the cause of consumers' renal dysfunction.

xinhua news agency quoted reports from japanese media such as kyodo news and kansai tv, saying that animal experiments conducted by a national research institute in japan showed that only rats that ingested penicillic acid had renal dysfunction, while the other two "unexpected" substances did not have a negative impact on the rats' kidneys. the ministry of health, labor and welfare speculated that the factory that produced red yeast rice mixed penicillium into the red yeast rice during the cultivation process, producing penicillic acid. previously, the ministry of health, labor and welfare and the city of osaka investigated thekobayashi pharmaceuticalan on-site inspection was conducted at the osaka factory that produces red yeast rice raw materials, and penicillium was extracted from the culture room and other places.

at the end of march this year, some japanese consumers suffered serious health problems, kidney diseases and even death after using health products containing red yeast rice produced by kobayashi pharmaceutical. data released by the ministry of health, labor and welfare showed that a total of 2,450 consumers sought medical treatment after taking health products containing red yeast rice produced by kobayashi pharmaceutical, and 120 deaths were under investigation for causal relationship in the incident. after the incident was exposed, kobayashi pharmaceutical immediately issued a notice and recalled three related products: red yeast rice granules for reducing alcohol, granules for reducing visceral fat and cholesterol, and nattokinase refreshing granules. pharmaceutical experts pointed out that red yeast rice itself would not cause kidney damage, but it might be that some "by-products" that damaged the kidneys were produced during the production and fermentation process of this batch of products. in mid-april, the national institute of pharmaceuticals, food and health of japan analyzed samples of red yeast rice produced by kobayashi pharmaceutical from june to august last year and found several "unexpected substances" including penicillic acid, but it was impossible to determine at which stage they were produced or accidentally mixed.

wuhan central hospitallai yongji, pharmacist and deputy director of the department of pharmacy, told the reporter of the global times health client that penicillic acid is a toxin produced during the fermentation process of penicillium, which is not easily exposed in our daily lives. this substance was detected in kobayashi pharmaceutical's products containing red yeast rice. there may be problems in the process or the raw materials are contaminated. studies have shown that long-term exposure to penicillic acid may damage the filtering function of the kidneys and even lead to kidney disease and renal failure. it may also affect liver function, causing liver enlargement and hepatocyte degeneration. in addition, the toxins produced by fermentation may also cause teratogenesis and increase the risk of cancer. this toxin is resistant to high temperatures, which means that it is difficult to remove its toxicity by high-temperature heating. therefore, once food is contaminated, it cannot be eaten.

although the three problematic products recalled by kobayashi pharmaceutical are not available in mainland my country, some consumers are concerned about using red yeast rice products. so, can red yeast rice products still be used with confidence?

chief pharmacist feng qilin said that red yeast rice is fermented with monascus purpurogenum, and it does not produce penicillic acid. it has been used since the southern dynasties of my country, with a history of 1,500 years. in addition to being used as a food flavoring agent to flavor and color food, red yeast rice is also used as a medical and health care chinese herbal medicine, which has the functions of promoting blood circulation, digesting food, and lowering blood lipids. some patients with mild hyperlipidemia use red yeast rice instead of tea, and the lipid-lowering effect is good.

"at present, our clinical use of red yeast rice has not been affected by the kobayashi pharmaceutical incident, nor have we encountered any feedback from patients suffering from liver and kidney damage after using red yeast rice. all red yeast rice medicines sold by regular hospitals and pharmacies can be taken with confidence. however, pregnant and breastfeeding women should use them with caution, and patients with a history of liver disease need to monitor liver function and take the medicine as prescribed by their doctor," said feng qilin.

the incident of kobayashi pharmaceutical's health products seriously damaging consumers' health has also sounded a wake-up call for consumers. do not be superstitious about "miracle drugs" or blindly believe in imported health products purchased from overseas. when purchasing red yeast rice health products, pay attention to the "blue hat" logo and health food approval number approved by the state food and drug administration (or the former state food and drug administration). the label should indicate key information such as health functions, suitable groups, unsuitable groups, effective ingredients, consumption and usage methods. consumers can check the registration information of health food products on the website of the state administration for market regulation. ▲

editor: pan zihu

editor-in-chief: ding wenjun