Tier 2 — strong

Efficacy and Safety of Berberine Alone or Combined with Statins for the Treatment of Hyperlipidemia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Clinical Trials

Zhang LS, Zhang JH, Feng R, Jin XY, Yang FW, Ji ZC, Zhao MY, Zhang MY, Zhang BL, Li XM
The American journal of Chinese medicine 2019 47(4):751-767

Bibliography

PubMed
PMID 31094214
DOI
10.1142/s0192415x19500393
Funding
Funding was not established from the accessible source; this is not a declaration of no funding.
Competing interests
A complete competing-interest declaration was not available in the accessible source; no absence of conflicts is inferred.

Study snapshot

DesignSystematic review and meta-analysis
ModelPublished human studies
Sample11 randomized trials; 1386 participants
InterventionEvidence synthesis; interventions and comparators vary across included studies
DurationNo new treatment; included-study durations vary
EndpointsPooled clinical or metabolic outcomes; Risk of bias and heterogeneity; Adverse-event reporting

What the study showed, in plain terms

The synthesis distinguished placebo, simvastatin and add-on comparisons and reported selected lipid improvements. Constipation was an adverse-event concern.

Key findings

  • The synthesis distinguished placebo, simvastatin and add-on comparisons and reported selected lipid improvements. Constipation was an adverse-event concern.

What this study can and cannot tell us

Dissatisfactory trial quality and quantity; do not infer general statin interchangeability or interaction safety.

Source detail: indexed abstract and bibliographic record; unavailable methods or disclosures are identified rather than assumed.

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Editorial review

Reviewed by the Biohack Blueprint research team

Last verified

Dr. Khaled Mahmoud, MBBChCritical Care Medicine, Longevity Science & Editorial Direction Dr. Amr Yasser, PhDCardiometabolic, Musculoskeletal, Gut & Bioavailability Dr. Abdulla Mostafa, PhDCellular Senescence, Neurological, Mitochondrial & Brain-Ageing Biology