Newspapers reported that a large randomised placebo-controlled trial of 5000 patients showed that the extract of Chinese red yeast rice, XZK, that gives Peking duck its red colour, reduces bad cholesterol that subsequently lowers cardiovascular events in Chinese people who have already experienced a heart attack.
Critics say that although the study provides good evidence of the beneficial effect of the extract, the finding is not surprising because one of the cholesterol-lowering drugs, lovastatin, was originally extracted from yeast rice. They also say that people who are concerned about their risk of heart attack or their cholesterol levels should talk to their GP, who may prescribe them a statin.
Source: "Effect of Xuezhikang, an Extract From Red Yeast Chinese Rice, on Coronary Events in a Chinese Population With Previous Myocardial Infarction." American J of Cardiology 2008; Apr 11 [Epub ahead of print]
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