Effect of a short-term dietary supplementation with phytosterols, red yeast rice or both on lipid pattern in moderately hypercholesterolemic subjects: a three-arm, double-blind, randomized clinical trial

Study answer

What this study found

The combination of phytosterols plus red yeast rice produced the most consistent lipid-lowering effect and was well tolerated over 8 weeks. Phytosterols alone did not produce significant lipid changes, whereas red yeast rice significantly reduced total cholesterol, LDL-C, and ApoB, and the combination produced larger reductions, including LDL-C -45.2 mg/dL and ApoB -19.3 mg/dL. Compared with phytosterols alone, LDL-C and ApoB changes were significantly better with red yeast rice and with the combination; LDL-C change was also significantly greater with the combination than with red yeast…

Study & population

Three-arm, double-blind randomized clinical trial in 90 moderately hypercholesterolemic adults in primary cardiovascular prevention, recruited in Bologna, Italy.

Intervention

Participants received indistinguishable liquid sticks for 8 weeks containing either phytosterols 800 mg, red yeast rice standardized to 5 mg monacolins from Monascus purpureus, or the two products together.

Key limitation

The trial was short, lasting only 8 weeks, so it does not address durability of lipid lowering or long-term safety.

View full study detailsView sourceOpen PDF

Original abstract