Phytoestrogen-Rich Dietary Supplements in Anti-Atherosclerotic Therapy in Postmenopausal Women.
- 1Department
of Cardiovascular Pathology, Russian Cardiology Research and Production
Complex, 15A 3rd Cherepkovskaya Str., 121552 Moscow, Russia. sobenin@cardio.ru.
Abstract
Cardiovascular
diseases remain the leading cause of morbidity and mortality among
postmenopausal women in western societies. There are still no specific
and highly efficient methods of preservation of women's vascular health
in modern preventive medicine.
For many years physicians have assumed that hormone replacement therapy
prevents the development of atherosclerosis in menopausal women.
However, the results of the largest international trials involving
thousands of women have completely destroyed this hope. The modern
perspective for the development of effective and safe drugs to enhance
the quality of life and to prevent atherosclerosis progression in
postmenopausal women may be the use of phytoestrogens, the substances of
plant origin possessing estrogen- like effects, and possibly providing
anti-atherosclerotic and anti-climacteric action. Phytoestrogens are
often considered as a possible alternative to hormone replacement
therapy, since they are believed to alleviate some symptoms of
menopause. However, until now there is no exact evidence to consider
phytoestrogens as the substances that protect women from
atherosclerosis. It should be noted that the data from clinical studies
with inconsistent results are mainly inconsistent per se, as most of the
studies have serious limitations due to the study design and the
participants' compliance. Nevertheless, there is a substantial evidence
that phytoestrogens have the potential to address several conditions and
diseases associated with the menopausal transition. Phytoestrogens, at
least, can potentially reduce atherosclerosis and
atherosclerosis-related diseases through multiple mechanisms, by
regulating serum lipid metabolism, arterial vessels, cytokine levels,
and coagulation/fibrinolysis system. However, a skepticism exists
concerning the true potential of phytoestrogens to beneficially modify
these processes. An analysis of findings from supplementing the diet
with phytoestrogens has failed, in general, to confirm them as the
agents responsible for beneficial cardiovascular effects. Fortunalely,
now there is a growing interest to the use of phytoestrogens for primary
prevention of cardiovascular disease in postmenopausal women. Clinical
and epidemiologic data indicate that phytoestrogens possess
anti-atherosclerotic effects and may be used to prevent and treat
cardiovascular diseases, and that adding phytoestrogens to the diet can
contribute to the health of postmenopausal women. This review discusses
the effects of phytoestrogens possibly beneficial for cardiovascular
health, and how these effects could retard the progression of
atherosclerosis, as well as the areas that need further investigation.
