Red Yeast Rice Preparations Reduce Mortality, Major Cardiovascular Adverse Events, and Risk Factors for Metabolic Syndrome: A Systematic Review and Meta−analysis

Study answer

What this study found

Red yeast rice preparations were associated with lower mortality and fewer major cardiovascular adverse events, along with improvements in glucose, lipid, and blood pressure measures. In the pooled analysis, mortality was reduced (RR 0.62) and MACEs were reduced (RR 0.54); adverse reactions were not increased (RR 1.00, 95% CI [0.69, 1.43]). Metabolic outcomes also favored red yeast rice, including lower fasting plasma glucose (MD -0.46 mmol/L), HbA1c (-0.49), HOMA-IR (-0.93), total cholesterol (-1.55), triglycerides (-0.70), LDL-C (-0.42), and mean arterial pressure (-3.79), with higher…

Study & population

Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized trials in participants with metabolic syndrome or related cardiometabolic conditions such as diabetes, dyslipidaemia, and hypertension.

Intervention

Oral red yeast rice preparations, mainly Xuezhikang or related red yeast rice products, were evaluated across randomized trials.

Key limitation

Substantial heterogeneity was present across outcomes, with varied certainty of evidence and some outcomes rated low or very low.

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Original abstract