CHIEN-YING LEEMING-SHIOU JANCHUN-CHE LINJAMES CHENG-CHUNG WEI2026-10-162026-10-162013-07-01Pure ID: 15129005Pure UUID: 96689f4a-1a38-4567-88fe-a778acbe129f10.1159/000351455https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/84880763029https://scholars.csmu.edu.tw/handle/123456789/30434Background: 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.7enjournal article