The effect of an ipriflavone-containing supplement on urinary N-linked telopeptide levels in postmenopausal women

Osteoporosis is a significant health concern to our aging population. We re port here the results of a pilot placebo-controlled trial of a dietary supp lement containing ipriflavone, calcium, and vitamin D on a urinary marker o f bone breakdown in postmenopausal women. Seven postmenopausal women not cu rrently receiving hormone replacement therapy received either an ipriflavon e-containing supplement or placebo for 3 months. Urinary N-linked telopepti des, a marker of bone breakdown, declined by 29% in those receiving the sup plement, whereas an increase in this marker was observed in the group recei ving the placebo. No changes were observed in salivary hormone measurements . Although our sample size was small, to the best of our knowledge, this is the first report that demonstrates changes in N-linked telopeptide levels as a result of consuming an ipriflavone-containing product. Our findings co nfirm those of other researchers that demonstrate the usefulness of iprifla vone at slowing the progression of bone loss and suggest that measuring N-l inked telopeptides may be a useful tool to assess therapeutic efficacy.