Low-dose isoflavone aglycone alleviates psychological symptoms of menopause in Japanese women: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.

PURPOSE

Many studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of isoflavones on menopausal symptoms; however, these mostly used high dosages. Because high-dose isoflavone may result in endometrial hyperplasia, we investigated whether low-dose isoflavone aglycone alleviates menopausal symptoms similarly to high dosages.

METHODS

We conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study in 90 healthy women aged 40-60 years who had at least one menopausal symptom on the Menopausal Symptom Scale (MSS). The participants were randomized to receive active tablets containing ultralow-dose (12.5 mg/day; n = 30) or low-dose (25 mg/day; n = 30) isoflavone aglycone, or placebo (n = 30) tablets, for 8 weeks. Their menopausal symptoms were evaluated using MSS, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), and Athens Insomnia Scale (AIS) before, and 4 and 8 weeks after treatment.

RESULTS

Eighty-seven women (97 %) completed the 8-week treatment. In the low-dose group, significant improvement was observed from baseline, in the following parameters: (1) HADS-depression subscale score, (2) AIS score, (3) MSS-somatic symptom score after 4 and 8 weeks of treatment, and (4) MSS-vasomotor symptom score after 8 weeks of treatment. The changes in scores on HADS-depression subscale and AIS from baseline to 8 weeks were significantly higher in the low-dose group than in the placebo group.

CONCLUSIONS

Low-dose (25 mg/day) isoflavone aglycone significantly alleviated symptoms of depression and insomnia in Japanese middle-aged women. Clinical Trial Registration UMIN-CTR UMIN000011876.