In the Forum
Chinese Rice Derivative Good for Heart Health
Volume: 48 (20/06/2008)
Researchers at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia have found that Xuezhikang (XZK), a traditional Chinese dietary supplement can help reduce the risk of heart problems following a heart attack. XZK is a derivate of red yeast rice and has been used in China for centuries. Findings of the study have been published in the American Journal of Cardiology.Study leader Dr. David M. Capuzzi and colleagues recruited 3986 men and 884 women, all of whom had suffered a heart attack and had high cholesterol levels. The volunteers were all on cholesterol-lowering agents. For the 4.5 years that the study lasted, the researchers divided the participants into two groups and assigned one group to take a capsule of XZK and the other
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group to take a placebo twice a day. The cholesterol-lowering treatments were discontinued for both groups.
Over the course of the study, the researchers found that 1.9 percent of the subjects who received XZK had a non-fatal heart attack compared to 4.9 percent of those given placebo. The percentage of people who required a procedure to clear their blocked arteries was also in favour of the XZK group – 2.8 percent against 4.2 percent in the placebo group. People in the XZK group also had lower mortality rate at 5.2 percent compared to the 7.7 percent seen in the placebo group.
“Chinese red yeast rice is a botanical product that has been used in China for many centuries for the treatment of circulatory disorders,” Dr. Capuzzi said. “The particular preparation used in the study has been grown under carefully controlled laboratory conditions, so that its components are likely reproducible.”
Dr. Capuzzi emphasized that “the results of this study do not apply to red rice yeast supplements sold over-the-counter in health food stores or the like, and I do not recommend that people use such over-the-counter preparations since these have not been tested for safety and effectiveness, and the purity and stability of the product components are unknown.”
In his opinion, heart patients should “continue to follow their physician’s directions and use currently available medications at this time when clinically indicated.”
Over the course of the study, the researchers found that 1.9 percent of the subjects who received XZK had a non-fatal heart attack compared to 4.9 percent of those given placebo. The percentage of people who required a procedure to clear their blocked arteries was also in favour of the XZK group – 2.8 percent against 4.2 percent in the placebo group. People in the XZK group also had lower mortality rate at 5.2 percent compared to the 7.7 percent seen in the placebo group.
“Chinese red yeast rice is a botanical product that has been used in China for many centuries for the treatment of circulatory disorders,” Dr. Capuzzi said. “The particular preparation used in the study has been grown under carefully controlled laboratory conditions, so that its components are likely reproducible.”
Dr. Capuzzi emphasized that “the results of this study do not apply to red rice yeast supplements sold over-the-counter in health food stores or the like, and I do not recommend that people use such over-the-counter preparations since these have not been tested for safety and effectiveness, and the purity and stability of the product components are unknown.”
In his opinion, heart patients should “continue to follow their physician’s directions and use currently available medications at this time when clinically indicated.”
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