TAIPEI, Taiwan, April 10 (UPI) -- In a study in rats, soy aglycons of isoflavone, a group of soybean constituent chemicals, promoted health during menopause, researchers in Taiwan said.
Lead researcher Robin Chiou of the National Chiayi University in Taiwan studied the effects of the dietary supplement on a group of female rats that had undergone ovary removal.
"These ovariectomized -- estrogen deficient -- animals are a good model for study of the menopause as the loss of estrogen from the ovaries mimics the natural reduction in estrogen seen in menopausal women," Chiou said in a statement.
"Soy aglycons of isoflavone itself has weak estrogenic properties and we've shown here that menopause-related syndromes can be prevented or improved by dietary supplementation with the compounds it contains."
The study, published in the journal Nutrition & Metabolism, found that in comparison to control animals, the authors found that the ovariectomized rats fed a diet enriched with soy aglycons of isoflavone showed increased liver anti-oxidative activities and improved lipid profiles. Levels of harmful low-density lipoprotein cholesterol were reduced, while beneficial high-density lipoprotein cholesterol was increased.
