Ipriflavone Does Not Slow Bone Loss, Study Shows
DROM: www.Dr. Mercola.com
Ipriflavone is marketed as a natural way to prevent bone thinning appears ineffective, according to results of a 3-year study in Denmark. Researchers even found some women who took the supplement experienced a drop in their white blood cell counts, a condition that can impair the immune system.
Ipriflavone, is a synthetic version of one of the isoflavones, which are plant-based compounds with estrogen-like effects. While ipriflavone is sold in health-food stores in the US, it is used as a prescribed osteoporosis treatment in Europe and Japan.
All of the women in the study took calcium supplements.
By the end of the study, there was no difference in bone density between the ipriflavone supplemented and placebo groups.
And about 13% of women on the ipriflavone developed lymphocytopenia, a drop in white blood cells that, in most of these cases, resolved after the women stopped taking ipriflavone.
Although earlier studies have suggested ipriflavone does fight bone thinning, these findings suggest that compared with other osteoporosis treatments, ipriflavone offers little benefit.
The Journal of the American Medical Association March 21, 2001;285:1482-1488
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DR. MERCOLA’S COMMENT:
Contrary to popular belief, Ipriflavone is not a natural substance. It is a synthetic isoflavone similar to the soy isoflavone, daidzein. Most regular readers of this newsletter are well aware of my negative attitude toward soy.
Building bones is far more complex than just taking calcium or any other supplement. Many minerals are required, such as magnesium, manganese, boron, zinc, copper, phosphorus and others. However, if you are consuming large quantities of high quality organic vegetables it is highly likely you will obtain most all of the mineral base you will need to build your bones.
Exercise and eating plenty of organically grown vegetables are the most profound ways to build bones.
Don’t forget that vitamin D is essential to absorb the minerals and unless you have good sun exposure, particularly in the winter, you will need a supplement to prevent bone loss. Even if the warmer months, if you are indoors all day long you will likely be vitamin D deficient as well.
Other articles discusses the importance of vitamins D and K in bone health, particularly in postmenopausal women. Vitamin K is mostly found in green leafy vegetables, eggs, and is also produced by bacteria in the intestines.
Ipriflavone Has No Effect on Bone Density Either
Ipriflavone, a supplement touted as a way to boost bone density appears to have no positive effect on preserving bone mass, according to a new study. As a matter of fact, it may even have the negative effect of suppressing immune function.
* Researchers studied a group of 474 postmenopausal women.
* The women received either 600 milligrams (mg) of ipriflavone daily or a placebo daily for 3 years.
* In addition, all women took 500 mg of calcium daily.
* Researchers measured the women’s bone density at three different sites (spine, hip and forearm) every 3 months.
* No difference in bone density was seen between the two groups.
However, one difference that was discovered was that the women taking the ipriflavone had lower levels of certain white blood cells (lymphocytes) than those taking the placebo.
However, despite this fact, women taking the ipriflavone did not have more frequent attacks of cold or flu than women who took the placebo, lead study author Peter Alexandersen told Reuters Health.
Although he noted that some small studies have suggested ipriflavone is effective in preserving bone mass, the current study found that “in women at risk for osteoporosis, ipriflavone at these doses had no effect on bone density.”
Meeting of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research, September, 2000 Toronto, Canada.
DR. MERCOLA’S COMMENT: Contrary to popular belief, Ipriflavone is not a natural substance. It is a synthetic isoflavone similar to the soy isoflavone, daidzein. Most regular readers of this newsletter are well aware of my negative attitude toward soy. If you are not familiar or would like more information on soy, please visit my Soy Information Page. (http://www.mercola.com/article/soy/index.htm)
Building bones is far more complex than just taking calcium or any other supplement. Many minerals are required, such as magnesium, manganese, boron, zinc, copper, phosphorus and others. However, if you are consuming large quantities of high quality organic vegetables it is highly likely you will obtain most all of the mineral base you will need to build your bones.
Soy Index:
Newest Research On Why You Should Avoid Soy by Sally Fallon & Mary G. Enig, Ph.D. – What was once a minor crop, listed in the 1913 US Department of Agriculture (USDA) handbook not as a food but as an industrial product, now covers 72 million acres of American farmland.
Soy May Cause Cancer and Brain Damage – Two senior US government scientists have revealed that chemicals in soy could increase the risk of breast cancer in women, brain damage in both men and women, and abnormalities in infants.
The Trouble With Tofu: Soy and the Brain by John D. MacArthur – “Tofu Shrinks Brain!” Not a science fiction scenario, this sobering soybean revelation is for real. But how did the “poster bean” of the ’90s go wrong? Apparently0608in many ways – none of which bode well for the brain.
Soy: Too Good to be True – by Brandon Finucan & Charlotte Gerson – While even in 1966 there was considerable research on the harmful substances within soybeans, you’ll be hard pressed to find articles today that claim soy is anything short of a miracle-food. As soy gains more and more popularity through industry advertising, we are moved once again to raise our voice of concern.
Learn The Truth About The Historical Use Of Soy – Just How Much Soy Did Asians Eat? In short, not that much, and contrary to what the industry may claim, soy has never been a staple in Asia. A study of the history of soy use in Asia shows that the poor used it during times of extreme food shortage, and only when the soybeans were carefully prepared (e.g. by lengthy fermentation) to destroy the soy toxins. Yes, the Asians understood soy all right!
High Soy Diet During Pregnancy And Nursing May Cause Developmental Changes In Children – Two separate studies – one in animals and the other in humans, suggest that a diet high in soybeans and other legumes during pregnancy and breastfeeding may have a subtle but long-term impact on the development of children.
Concerns Regarding Soybeans – Some good information abstracted from an article written by Sally Fallon and Mary Enig, Ph.D. for Health Freedom News in September of 1995.
Soy Can Cause Severe Allergic Reactions – Soy, like its botanically-related cousin the peanut, could be responsible for severe, potentially fatal, cases of food allergy, particularly in children with asthma who are also very sensitive to peanuts.
Soy Supplements Fail to Help Menopause Symptoms – Supplements that contain concentrated phytoestrogens — plant-based estrogens found in soy — do not appear to improve mood, memory or menopause symptoms in women over age 45.
20/20 Feature on the Dangers of Soy – The ABC television news program 20/20 aired a feature story Friday June 8, 2000 on the dangers of soy.
Soy Formulas and the Effects of Isoflavones on the Thyroid – Environmental scientist and long-time campaigner against soy-based infant formulas, Dr Mike Fitzpatrick, warns about the risk of thyroid disease in infants fed soy formulas, high soy consumers and users of isoflavone supplements.
Pregnant Women Should Not Eat Soy Products – In-utero exposure to genistein increases the incidence of breast tumors.
Soybean Crisis – Jane Phillimore of The Observer addresses some of the concerns raised by new research about the safety of soy.
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