ESTROGENS AND ATHEROSCLEROSIS - PHYTOESTROGENS AND SELECTIVE ESTROGEN-RECEPTOR MODULATORS

The development of atherosclerosis in animal models and the incidence of coronary heart disease in postmenopausal women are markedly reduced by estrogen treatment. Estrogens have acute beneficial effects on vas cular reactivity and longer-term effects on critical steps in the path ogenesis of atherosclerosis. Phytoestrogens present in soybeans and ot her plant products are weak estrogens but appear to have potent benefi cial effects on the arterial wall. The phytoestrogens have certain sim ilarities to 'designer hormones' which are being developed to retain t heir beneficial effects on the cardiovascular system and the skeleton without having cancer promoting effects on the breast and endometrium. Curr Opin Lipidol 9:457-463. (C) 1998 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins