Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Comment
. 2004;6(3):140-2.
doi: 10.1186/bcr796. Epub 2004 Apr 6.

Isoflavones and women's health

Trevor Powles  1
Affiliations
Comment

Isoflavones and women's health

Trevor Powles. Breast Cancer Res. 2004.

Abstract

There is evidence that diets which contain high levels of phytoestrogenic isoflavanoids are associated with a low incidence of osteoporosis and menopausal vasomotor symptoms. Plant extracts such as red clover, which contain high levels of isoflavanoids, have been used to reduce menopausal symptoms and have been shown to reduce bone loss in healthy women. A placebo-controlled clinical trial [ISRCTN42940165] of red clover is reported in this issue of Breast Cancer Research and shows that these phytoestrogens do not cause any oestrogenic increase in breast density, which would indicate that they are unlikely to cause an increased risk of breast cancer.

PubMed Disclaimer

Comment on

References

    1. Writing Group for the Women's Health Initiative Investigators Risks and benefits of estrogen plus progestin in healthy postmenopausal women: principal results from the Women's Health Initiative Randomized Controlled Trial. JAMA. 2002;288:321–333. doi: 10.1001/jama.288.3.321. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Cummings SR, Norton L, Eckert S, Grady D, Cauley J, Knickerboker R, Black DM, Nickelsen T, Glusman j, Krueger K. Raloxifene reduces the risk of breast cancer and may decrease the risk of endometrial cancer in postmenopausal women. Two-year findings from the multiple outcomes of raloxifene evaluation (MORE) trial. Proc Am Soc Clin Oncol. 1998;17:2a.
    1. Ettinger B, Black DM, Mitlak BH, Knickerbocker RK, Nickelsen T, Genant HK, Christiansen C, Delmas PD, Zanchetta JR, Stakkestad J, Glüer CC, Krueger K, Cohen FJ, Eckert S, Ensrud KE, Avioli LV, Lips P, Steven R, Cummings SR, and for the Multiple Outcomes of Raloxifene Evaluation Investigators Reduction of vertebral fracture risk in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis treated with raloxifene: results from a 3-year randomized clinical trial. JAMA. 1999;282:637–645. doi: 10.1001/jama.282.7.637. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Barrett-Connor E, Grady D, Sashegyi A, Anderson PW, Cox DA, Hoszowski K, Rautaharju P, Harper KD, MORE Investigators (Multiple Outcomes of Raloxifene Evaluation) Raloxifene and cardiovascular events in osteoporotic postmenopausal women: four-year results from the MORE (Multiple outcomes of raloxifene evaluation) randomized trial. JAMA. 2002;287:847–857. doi: 10.1001/jama.287.7.847. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Adlercreutz H, Mazur W. Phyto-oestrogens and Western diseases. Ann Med. 1997;29:95–120. - PubMed

MeSH terms

Associated data