"Cholesterol-Lowering Claim... 26 Hospitalized in Japan After Consuming 'Nuruk' Products"

Kobayashi Pharmaceutical's Red Nuruk Causes Kidney Issues
Pharmaceutical Company Sparks Controversy by Supplying Raw Material to 52 Food Companies

Dozens of people who consumed the health supplement "Red Yeast (Hongguk·紅麴)" manufactured and sold by a famous Japanese pharmaceutical company were hospitalized due to abnormalities in their kidneys and other organs. Moreover, 52 companies that used this yeast as a food ingredient have been recalling their products, causing a growing controversy.

Nuruk used in food production. This photo is for illustrative purposes and is not directly related.
[Image source=Getty Images]

On the 25th, local media such as NHK and Jiji Press reported, citing an announcement from Kobayashi Pharmaceutical, that 20 additional people who consumed health supplements containing red yeast ingredients were confirmed to have been hospitalized. Previously, six patients who consumed this product were counted as hospitalized last week. Therefore, the total number of patients hospitalized due to red yeast is 26.

Red yeast is made by cultivating a type of red yeast mold on grains such as rice, and as its name suggests, it produces a red color, so it has long been widely used as a food coloring agent. Recently in Japan, the ingredient lovastatin contained in red yeast has been known to lower cholesterol, leading to the release of many health supplements using red yeast. However, despite these benefits, the red yeast mold also produces a mycotoxin called citrinin, which is known to pose a risk of causing kidney diseases.

Products using 'Red Nuruk' voluntarily recalled by Kobayashi Pharmaceutical. [Image source: Screenshot from Kobayashi Pharmaceutical official website]

On the 22nd, Kobayashi Pharmaceutical announced a voluntary recall of functional labeled foods containing red yeast. The company explained that the reason for the recall was due to health damage such as kidney diseases occurring among consumers who ingested the product. The company stated, "At this point, the relationship between this ingredient or the product and kidney diseases has not been confirmed, but as a preventive measure to stop the expansion of health damage to customers, we decided to recall the products." The recalled products include five items such as "Red Yeast Cholesterol Help 60 tablets for 20 days." Kobayashi Pharmaceutical is a major company specializing in quasi-drugs with annual sales exceeding 1 trillion yen.

Kobayashi Pharmaceutical's red yeast-related products generate annual sales of 600 million yen (approximately 530 million KRW). Additionally, since the recalled products have been sold in drugstores across Japan since 2021, Nihon Keizai Shimbun (Nikkei) reported that the cumulative sales volume of these products has reached nearly 1.1 million units.

A bigger problem is that Kobayashi Pharmaceutical has supplied red yeast as a processed raw material to other companies. On the 24th, Kobayashi Pharmaceutical announced that it has supplied red yeast as a raw material to 52 food-related companies, including beverage and seasoning manufacturers, since 2016. Therefore, product recall announcements from companies that received red yeast supplies are also continuing.

The alcoholic beverage company Takara Shuzo announced the recall of "Songjukmae Shiratakekura Mio Premium Rose," a Japanese sake, and a mail-order company based in Fukuoka announced the recall of "Concentrated Cheese Senbei that helps lower LDL cholesterol." Additionally, Kibun Foods recalled squid salted products, and Mamefuku, a soybean snack specialty store in Nagoya, announced the recall of products such as "Shrimp Salt Almond" made with red yeast. Since many companies received red yeast as a raw material from Kobayashi Pharmaceutical, the number of companies conducting recalls or withdrawals related to red yeast is expected to increase further.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.