Ipriflavone's therapeutic uses
Ipriflavone is a semisynthetic isoflavone derived from soy, primarily used as a dietary supplement for its potential therapeutic effects on osteoporosis. It is believed to mimic estrogen's bone-stimulating properties without the associated risks of estrogen activity in other parts of the body, making it a promising option for individuals, particularly postmenopausal women, experiencing bone loss. Research suggests that ipriflavone, when combined with calcium, may slow down the progression of osteoporosis and even lead to modest gains in bone density over time. Additionally, it appears to alleviate pain associated with fractures caused by osteoporosis.
While ipriflavone is available in various countries, including the United States, as a nonprescription supplement, it is important to note that it is not an essential nutrient found in food. Users should follow recommended dosages and be cautious of potential side effects, such as reduced white blood cell counts. Ipriflavone may interact with certain medications, particularly those that influence liver metabolism, and it could also heighten the effects of estrogen, raising concerns about increased cancer risks if used in combination. Therefore, those considering ipriflavone should consult healthcare providers, especially individuals with existing health conditions or those on immunosuppressive therapies.
Ipriflavone's therapeutic uses
- DEFINITION: Natural plant product used to treat specific health conditions.
- PRINCIPAL PROPOSED USE: Osteoporosis
- OTHER PROPOSED USE: Bodybuilding, bone pain
Overview
Isoflavones are water-soluble chemicals found in many plants. Ipriflavone is a semisynthetic version of an isoflavone found in soy.
Soy isoflavones have effects on the body similar to those of estrogen. This should be beneficial, but soy may also present some of the risks of estrogen. In 1969, a research project was initiated to manufacture a type of isoflavone that would possess the bone-stimulating effects of estrogen without any estrogen-like activity elsewhere in the body. Such a product would help prevent osteoporosis but cause no other health risks.
Ipriflavone was the result. After seven successful years of experiments with animals, human research was started in 1981. In the twenty-first century, ipriflavone is available in several countries, including the United States, as a nonprescription dietary supplement. It is an accepted treatment for osteoporosis in Italy and Japan.
According to all but one study, ipriflavone combined with calcium can slow and perhaps slightly reverse bone breakdown. It also seems to help reduce the pain of fractures caused by osteoporosis. However, since it does not appear to have any estrogenic effects anywhere else in the body, it should not increase the risk of breast or uterine cancer. On the other hand, it will not reduce the hot flashes, night sweats, mood changes, or vaginal dryness of menopause, nor will it prevent heart disease. A large study found that ipriflavone might reduce white blood cell count in some individuals.
Requirements and Sources
Ipriflavone is not an essential nutrient and is not found in food. It must be taken as a supplement.
Therapeutic Dosages
The proper dosage of ipriflavone is 200 milligrams (mg) three times daily or 300 mg twice daily. A calcium supplement providing 1,000 mg of calcium daily should be taken as well.
Therapeutic Uses
Ipriflavone appears to slow down and perhaps slightly reverse osteoporosis. It may be helpful for this purpose in ordinary postmenopausal osteoporosis, as well as in osteoporosis caused by medications. Ipriflavone also seems to ease the pain of fractures caused by osteoporosis. Ipriflavone has also been proposed as a bodybuilding aid, but there is little meaningful evidence that it is helpful for this purpose.
Scientific Evidence
Numerous double-blind, placebo-controlled studies involving more than 1,700 participants have examined the effects of ipriflavone on various forms of osteoporosis. Overall, it appears that ipriflavone can slow the progression of osteoporosis and perhaps reverse it to some extent. For example, a two-year, double-blind study followed 198 postmenopausal women who showed evidence of bone loss. At the end of the study, there was a gain in bone density of 1 percent in the ipriflavone group and a loss of 0.7 percent in the placebo group. These numbers may sound small, but they can add up to a lot of bone over time.
However, the largest and longest study of ipriflavone found no benefit. In this three-year trial of 474 postmenopausal women, no differences in the extent of osteoporosis were seen between the ipriflavone and placebo groups. How can this failure be accounted for, given the successful trials that came before? Perhaps because the researchers in this study gave women only 500 mg of calcium daily. All other major studies of ipriflavone gave participants 1,000 mg of calcium daily. Ipriflavone may require a higher dose of calcium to work properly.
Ipriflavone, like estrogen, probably works by fighting bone breakdown. However, there is some evidence that it may also increase new bone formation.
Combining ipriflavone with estrogen may enhance antiosteoporosis benefits. However, it is not known for sure whether such combinations increase or reduce the other risks or benefits of estrogen.
Ipriflavone may also help prevent osteoporosis in women taking Lupron or corticosteroids, medications that accelerate bone loss. However, the combined use of ipriflavone and drugs that suppress the immune system, such as corticosteroids, presents potential risks. Finally, for reasons that are not clear, ipriflavone can reduce pain in osteoporosis-related fractures that have already occurred.
Safety Issues
Over 3,000 people have used ipriflavone in clinical studies, and in all but two, no significant adverse effects were seen. However, these trials (a three-year, double-blind trial of almost five hundred women, as well as a small study) found worrisome evidence that ipriflavone can reduce levels of white blood cells called lymphocytes. For this reason, anyone taking ipriflavone for the long term should have periodic measurements taken of white blood cell count.
Additionally, ipriflavone should not be used by anyone with immune deficiencies, such as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), or by those who take drugs that suppress the immune system, except under physician supervision. There are other potential risks. Because ipriflavone is metabolized by the kidneys, individuals with severe kidney disease should have their ipriflavone dosage monitored by a physician. Individuals with ulcers should also avoid ipriflavone.
Although ipriflavone itself does not affect tissues outside of bone, some evidence suggests that if it is combined with estrogen, estrogen’s effects on the uterus are increased. This might mean that the risk of uterine cancer would be elevated over taking estrogen alone. It should be possible to overcome this risk by taking progesterone along with estrogen, which is standard medical practice. However, this finding does make one wonder whether ipriflavone-estrogen combinations also raise the risk of breast cancer, an estrogen side effect that has no easy solution.
Additionally, ipriflavone may interfere with certain drugs by affecting how they are processed in the liver. For example, it may raise blood levels of the older asthma drug theophylline. It could also raise levels of caffeine, meaning that if individuals drink coffee while taking ipriflavone, they might stay up longer than they expect. Ipriflavone could also interact with tolbutamide (a drug for diabetes), phenytoin (used for epilepsy), and Coumadin (a blood thinner). Such interactions are potentially dangerous, especially since phenytoin and Coumadin cause osteoporosis, and some people might be tempted to try taking ipriflavone at the same time.
Important Interactions
Individuals taking theophylline, tolbutamide, phenytoin (Dilantin), warfarin (Coumadin), or any other drug metabolized in the liver should be aware that ipriflavone might change the levels of that drug in their bodies. For people taking estrogen, ipriflavone might help estrogen strengthen their bones even more. However, it might also increase the risk of uterine cancer. Drugs that suppress the immune system, such as corticosteroids, methotrexate, or cyclosporine, should not be used simultaneously with ipriflavone except under medical supervision.
Bibliography
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