Red Yeast Rice for Primary Prevention of Hypercholesterolemia

March 18, 2026 updated by: Chang Gung Memorial Hospital

Gut Microbiota and Bile Acids Mediate the Clinical Benefits of Red Yeast Rice for Primary Prevention of Hypercholesterolemia: A Pilot Observational Study

This two-year observational study will be conducted at the outpatient clinic of the Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine of Taoyuan Chang Gung Hospital from February 26, 2024 to December 31, 2025. This study will enroll 35~55 year-old male patients who are expected to take LipoCol Forte Capsules for primary prevention of hypercholesterolemia. The investigators will collect the TCM constitution questionnaires from patients before taking LipoCol Forte Capsules and every three months after taking the medicine. At the same time, blood will be drawn to detect glycated hemoglobin, fasting blood sugar, insulin, lipids profile, liver and kidney function, creatine kinase, predictive parameters of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, and plasma bile acids, etc. Fecal samples will also be collected to analyze the intestinal microbiota and fecal bile acid composition. This study will evaluate the efficacy, durability and safety of LipoCol Forte capsules in the primary prevention of hypercholesterolemia in patients with different constitutions, as well as whether it can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, and its influence on bile acid metabolism and intestinal microbiota.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Observational

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
41

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Locations

  • Taiwan
    • Taiwan
      • Taoyuan District, Taiwan, Taiwan, 333
        • Taoyuan branch of Chang Gung Memorial Hospital

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sampling Method

Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

The investigators will collect the TCM constitution questionnaires from patients before taking LipoCol Forte Capsules and every three months after taking the medicine. At the same time, blood will be drawn to detect glycated hemoglobin, fasting blood sugar, insulin, lipids profile, liver and kidney function, creatine kinase, predictive parameters of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, and plasma bile acids, etc. Fecal samples will also be collected to analyze the intestinal microbiota and fecal bile acid composition.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Aged 35~55 years old
  • LDL-C≥130mg/dl or patients with diabetes or chronic kidney disease with LDL-C ≥ 100mg/dl
  • expected to receive LipoCol Forte Capsule 600mg bid

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Have received anti-hyperlipidemic drugs or red yeast rice treatment within the past month;
  • Female;
  • Have experienced rhabdomyolysis or abnormal liver function ALT >72 U/L due to taking red yeast rice;
  • Bleeding diseases, such as abnormal platelets, abnormal coagulation factors, or gastrointestinal tract infection within one month
  • Liver insufficiency ALT >72 U/L or renal insufficiency eGFR < 30 mL/min/1.73 m2;
  • Have ever had coronary heart disease, myocardial infarction or cerebrovascular disease;
  • Stressful situations, including hospitalization or surgery within the past or next month, and cancer still being treated;
  • Uncontrolled hypertension (blood pressure ≥160/100 mmHg);
  • Use antibiotics, probiotics or weight-loss drugs for more than 3 consecutive days within 3 months before inclusion in the study;
  • Drug abuse or poor compliance;
  • Use of traditional Chinese medicine in the past month

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort

Group / Cohort

A group or subgroup of participants in an observational study that is assessed for biomedical or health outcomes.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Group 1
Drug: LipoCol Forte Capsule 600mg twice a day
LipoCol Forte Capsule 600mg twice a day for 12 months

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Low Density Lipoprotein-Cholesterol (LDL-C)
Time Frame: before treatment, and 3, 6, 9, 12 months after treatments
This study will evaluate the efficacy and durability of LipoCol Forte capsules in the primary prevention of hypercholesterolemia.
before treatment, and 3, 6, 9, 12 months after treatments

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
10-Year Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease (ASCVD) Risk
Time Frame: before treatment, and 3, 6, 9, 12 months after treatments
use ASCVD risk estimator to calculate the 10-Year ASCVD Risk after LipoCol Forte capsules treatment
before treatment, and 3, 6, 9, 12 months after treatments

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Chang Gung Memorial Hospital

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
February 26, 2024

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
December 31, 2025

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
December 31, 2025

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
February 29, 2024

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
March 7, 2024

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
March 8, 2024

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
March 20, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
March 18, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
February 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 202301060A3

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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