Relationship between adiponectin and leptin, and blood lipids in hyperlipidemia patients treated with red yeast rice.

BACKGROUND

This study aimed to investigate the possible relationships between adiponectin and leptin, blood lipids such as total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), and triglycerides (TG) as well as other clinical biomarkers in hyperlipidemia patients treated with red yeast rice.

METHODS

30 patients with primary hyperlipidemia were recruited, treated with red rice yeast capsules 600 mg twice a day for 8 weeks, and followed up for 4 weeks. The primary endpoint was the mean difference in LDL-C from baseline to week 8, while the secondary endpoints were the mean percentage changes from baseline of total cholesterol, TG, HDL-C, adiponectin, and leptin.

RESULTS

At week 8, the decrease in LDL-C and total cholesterol was -38.11 ± 30.90 mg/dl (p < 0.0001) and -44.54 ± 27.46 mg/dl (p < 0.0001), respectively, and the increase in adiponectin was 35.83 ± 67.85 μg/ml (p = 0.017) as compared to baseline. Adiponectin also correlated positively with HDL-C (r2 = 0.39; p = 0.001). Serum leptin correlated negatively with TG (r2 = 0.19; p = 0.035), and there was a trend of correlation between leptin and HDL-C, but this was not statistically significant (r2 = 0.16; p = 0.052).

CONCLUSION

Red yeast rice can significantly increase adiponectin and can significantly lower LDL-C and total cholesterol levels. Adiponectin correlates positively with HDL-C while serum leptin correlates negatively with TG. Red yeast rice has a potentially protective effect in obesity-related and cardiovascular diseases.