The Japanese company Kobayashi Pharmaceutical Co. confirmed on Friday a fifth death associated with dietary supplements containing red yeast rice.
As reported by Ukrinform, this reports Kyodo News.
The company does not disclose the age, gender or address of any of the deceased. Kobayashi Pharmaceutical Co. suggests that an unknown substance derived from mold may have caused the problems, but the company is currently unable to determine the specific cause of the problem.
On March 22, the company announced that people who took these supplements experienced symptoms such as kidney disease.
Japan's Ministry of Health said Thursday that a total of 93 people were hospitalized after consuming these supplements. Kobayashi Pharmaceutical has received about 12,000 inquiries about problems with the supplements.
The company has already recalled these dietary supplements from stores.
As Ukrinform reported, in 2022 the number of obese people worldwide will exceed . one billion, including 879 million adults and 159 million children.