The Effects of Phytosterols Extracted from Diascorea alata on the Antioxidant Activity, Plasma Lipids, and Hematological Profiles in Taiwanese Menopausal Women.

The efficacy of phytosterols extracted from on antioxidant activities, plasma lipids and hematological profiles was assessed in postmenopausal women. Gas chromatography and mass spectrophotometry was employed to determine the steroid content of Taiwanese yam ( cv. Tainung No. 2). A two-center, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical investigation on 50 postmenopausal women randomly assigned to two groups treated for 12 months with placebo or two sachets daily of extracts containing 12 mg/dose was carried out. The main outcome measures were the plasma antioxidant activities, hematological profiles, and the concentrations of plasma lipids, including cholesterol, triglyceride, low density lipoprotein, high density lipoprotein, very low density lipoprotein,, and apolipoprotein A1 and B. A one-way analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) test was performed to investigate the significance. Beta-sitosterol, stigmasterol, 22-23-dihydro-, and γ-sitosterol were major phytosterols determined from extracts. At six months in those receiving , there were significantly decreased leukocyte counts ( < 0.01) and improvement on antioxidant activity of malondialdehyde ( < 0.001). After 12 months' treatment, elevations of hematocrit and mean corpuscular volume ( < 0.01) were noted in those receiving . Moreover, the low dose consumption in menopausal women for one year generally did not present positive effects on lipid profiles.