Growing Taller with Lovastatin?

Lovastatin is found in oyster mushrooms and red yeast rice. Lovastatin is also available as a supplement: Nature's Way Red Yeast Rice 600mg, 120 Vcaps

Lovastatin increases longitudinal bone growth and bone morphogenetic protein-2 levels in the growth plate of Sprague-Dawley rats.

"Lovastatin is a drug widely used to reduce cholesterol levels in blood. It is known to act via the inhibition of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) reductase."

"Animals of the lovastatin-administrated group were injected intraperitoneally with 5 mg/kg lovastatin for every 5 consecutive days"<-So if you're 200lbs that would about 450mg of lovastatin.  It's unclear whether this is the optimal dosage and how much Lovastatin is in red yeast rice.

"The longitudinal bone growth rate for 48 h in normal adolescent rats was 489.0±70.1 µm and lovastatin was shown to promote bone growth, increasing the rate to 780.5±72.8 µm "<-so almost doubled.

"The labelling index for proliferating chondrocytes of the lovastatin-administrated group was 32.5±5.7% compared to the control group (19.0±7.8%, P<0.05). Both the number of BMP-2-positive cells and the intensity of BMP-2 expression in proliferating, maturing, and hypertrophic chondrocytes of growth plates were increased in the lovastatin-administrated group"

"It may be cautiously suggested that lovastatin could be used as a potent drug to increase longitudinal bone growth in children."

BMP-2 may lead to overgrowth as loss of Noggin which is a BMP antagonist resulted in overgrowth.

So this supplement might help you grow taller during development and the BMP-2 might help induce a chondrogenic phenotype in the epiphyseal bone marrow by a method such as LSJL, LIPUS, PEMF, or EA.

Of course, we're not sure about potetial side effects and we don't know about potential overdosing hazards. Although generally when you overdose on food you get a stomach ache.

This study: Efficacy and safety of lovastatin therapy in adolescent girls with heterozygous familial hypercholesterolemia. found Lovastatin to be safe.  It also mentioned that there were no alterations in height and this was confirmed in the table given in the study.  Doses were "lovastatin 20 mg/day for 4 weeks followed by lovastatin 40 mg/day for 20 weeks".  For a 100 lbs girl the optimal dosage would be 225mg so maybe the dosages were too low to increase height.

The effects of Lovastatin on height may involve cholesterol.  One of the studies there mentions that the bones cultured in the presence of lovastatin grew less.

Effects of an anticoagulant and a lipid-lowering agent on the prevention of steroid-induced osteonecrosis in rabbits. states that

"Lovastatin can not only decrease the level of cholesterols but also counteract the effects of steroids on the differentiation of the precursor cells in the bone marrow into the adipocytes. Lovastatin can decrease the expression of the fat-cell transcription factor PPARγ2[which frees up cells to differentiate into chondrocytes] and increase the expression of the osteoblast gene Runx2/Cbfa1 and shunt the uncommitted osteoprogenitor cells in the bone marrow from the adipocytic to the osteoblastic differentiation pathway"

Lovastatin promotes redifferentiation of human nucleus pulposus cells during expansion in monolayer culture.

"chondrocytes and IVD cells in monolayer culture undergo "dedifferentiation," characterized by decreased synthesis of type II collagen and increased synthesis of type I collagen. Lovastatin reverses "dedifferentiation" of human NP cells during monolayer expansion. Expression of genes encoding type II collagen and transcription factor SOX9 in these cells was upregulated by lovastatin, with maximal stimulations observed at 5 µM, whereas type I collagen gene expression was suppressed by the drug, with maximal inhibitions observed at 5-10 µM. At lovastatin concentrations ≥1 µM, expression of genes encoding the bone morphogenetic proteins BMP-2 and BMP-7 was also significantly enhanced. Furthermore, the number of NP cells exhibiting a rounded shape and positive staining for S-100 protein and type II collagen protein increased during treatment with lovastatin."

TGFB1 was tested but not found to be enhanced by Lovastatin.

" lovastatin-treated NP cells were seen to have acquired a more round-shaped, chondrocyte-like morphology and to exhibit greater positivity of immunohistochemical staining for type II collagen protein and for S-100, a chondrocyte-specific protein."

"human NP cells from degenerative IVD tissues did not respond to lovastatin with increased expression of aggrecan."

"the observed effects of lovastatin could not be attributed solely to increased production of BMP-2 and BMP-7 because these proteins exert somewhat different effects in human IVD and NP cells"

Simvastatin modulates mouse embryonic stem cell-derived chondrogenesis in vitro. 

"simvastatin activated cartilage nodule formation during EB differentiation. Extended application of simvastatin resulted in enhanced expression of cartilage marker molecules and prolonged persistence of cartilage nodules. Expression of collagen type II was upregulated during simvastatin-induced chondrogenic ES cell differentiation. However, immunostaining for cartilage marker molecules revealed that cartilage nodules within simvastatin-treated EBs were defective, bearing cavities of cell loss. Furthermore, caspase activity was reduced in comparison to untreated controls indicating reduced apoptosis. Simvastatin prolongs survival of chondrocytes and disrupts cellular integrity of cartilage nodules during EB development by affecting apoptotic mechanisms."

"EBs were smaller after application of simvastatin"<-So simvastatin iniduction of chondrogenesis may come at a price.

"cartilage nodules within simvastatin treated EBs were defective"

Lovastatin-induced apoptosis is mediated by activating transcription factor 3 and enhanced in combination with salubrinal

"lovastatin, a potent inhibitor of mevalonate synthesis, to induce tumour specific apoptosis. The apoptotic effects of lovastatin were regulated in part by the Integrated Stress Response (ISR) that regulates cellular responses to a wide variety of stress inducers. Salubrinal, an agent that can sustain the activity of a key regulator of the ISR eIF2α, further increased the expression of ATF3 and demonstrated synergistic cytotoxicity in combination with lovastatin in SCC cells. Preferential induction of ATF3 in lovastatin sensitive tumour derived cell lines that regulates lovastatin-induced apoptosis. Combining lovastatin with salubrinal enhanced ATF3 expression and induced synergistic cytotoxicity in SCC cells."

If Lovastatin can in fact increase height, salubrinal may be able to enhance those results.