Effect of red yeast rice combined with antioxidants on lipid pattern, hs-CRP level, and endothelial function in moderately hypercholesterolemic subjects

Study answer

What this study found

The red yeast rice plus antioxidant regimen produced better short-term improvements than placebo in lipids, inflammation, and endothelial function markers. Compared with placebo, active treatment reduced total cholesterol by 43.5 mg/dl versus 12.1 mg/dl, LDL-C by 37.5 mg/dl versus 2.1 mg/dl, non-HDL-C by 45.7 mg/dl versus 13.5 mg/dl, apoB by 11.8 mg/dl versus 0.2 mg/dl, and hs-CRP by 0.05 mg/l versus an increase of 0.04 mg/l; pulse volume changes increased by 11.6% versus a 4.3% decrease. The authors concluded that the 10 mg monacolin nutraceutical safely lowers cholesterolemia, hs-CRP, and…

Study & population

Placebo-controlled short-term trial in moderately hypercholesterolemic adults in Italy.

Intervention

Oral red yeast rice nutraceutical providing 10 mg monacolins from Monascus purpureus plus antioxidants: green tea dry extract 100 mg, coenzyme Q10 20 mg, astaxanthin 2 mg, resveratrol 20 mg, and quercetin 50 mg.

Key limitation

The active arm was very small (n=12) and treatment lasted only 4 weeks, limiting precision and long-term safety assessment.

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Original abstract