Table 3

Post-treatment total cholesterol levels (mmol/L) in randomized controlled trials

Interventions
No. of trials [references]
No. of participants
Weighted mean difference (95% confidence interval)
P value

RYR vs. no intervention/placebo




Zhibituo vs. no intervention
2 [22, 23]
112
-1.27 (-1.50 to -1.05)
< 0.00001
RYR supplement vs. placebo
1 [7]
83
-1.04 (-1.41 to -0.67)
< 0.00001
Xuezhikang vs. placebo
4 [8, 24–26]
323
-1.04 (-1.46 to -0.62)*
< 0.00001
Zhibituo vs. placebo
3 [27–29]
283
-0.80 (-1.03 to -0.57)
< 0.00001
RYR vs. statins




Xuezhikang vs. simvastatin
15 [6, 30–43]
1455
0.05 (-0.27 to 0.37)*
0.76
Xuezhikang vs. pravastatin
7 [44–50]
594
- 0.20 (- 0.47 to 0.06)*
0.14
Xuezhikang vs. lovastatin
3 [51–53]
174
-0.05 (-0.27 to 0.18)
0.69
Xuezhikang vs. atorvastatin
1 [54]
60
-0.16 (-0.58 to 0.26)
0.46
Xuezhikang vs. fluvastatin
1 [55]
118
0.48 (0.24 to 0.72)
0.0001
Zhibituo vs. simvastatin
9 [32, 56–63]
728
0.11 (-0.03 to 0.25)
0.14
Zhibituo vs. provastatin
1 [22]
62
0.05 (-0.20 to 0.30)
0.70
Zhibituo vs. lovastatin
1 [57]
45
-0.11 (-0.48 to 0.26)
0.56
RYR vs. non-statin drugs




Xuezhikang vs. inositol nicotinate
7 [65–71]
624
-0.56 (-0.81 to -0.31)*
< 0.0001
Xuezhikang vs. fenofibrate
5 [32, 73–76]
337
-0.13 (-0.46 to 0.20)*
0.44
Xuezhikang vs. gemfibrozil
3 [77–79]
156
-0.43 (-1.52 to 0.65)*
0.43
Xuezhikang vs. fish oils
2 [80, 81]
116
-0.81 (-1.11 to -0.50)
< 0.00001
Xuezhikang vs. alginic sodium diester
1 [84]
60
-1.08 (-1.38 to -0.78)
< 0.00001
Xuezhikang vs. conjugated estrogens
1 [85]
44
-0.87 (-1.20 to -0.54)
< 0.00001
Xuezhikang vs. elastase
1 [86]
107
-0.10 (-0.49 to 0.29)
0.61
Xuezhikang vs. biphenalbid
1 [87]
64
0.12 (-0.31 to 0.55)
0.59
Zhibituo vs. inositol nicotinate
8 [88–95]
608
-0.73 (-1.13 to -0.33)*
0.0004
Zhibituo vs. fish oils
6 [97–102]
491
-0.76 (-1.04 to -0.49)*
< 0.00001
Zhibituo vs. fenofibrate
2 [32, 104]
248
0.31 (0.04 to 0.59)
0.02
RYR versus RYR




Xuezhikang vs. Zhibituo
7 [32, 106–111]
701
-0.03 (-0.25 to 0.20)*
0.82

* Random effects model

Liu et al. Chinese Medicine 2006 1:4   doi:10.1186/1749-8546-1-4