Enriched Red Clover Isoflavone May Lower LDL Cholesterol in Men

MELBOURNE, Australia--Supplementation of isoflavones from red clover enriched with biochanin (a genistein precursor) may lower LDL (bad) cholesterol in men, according to a study published in the March issue of the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition (www.nature.com/ejcn). Genistein is an isoflavone, phytochemicals found in soy, red clover, black cohosh and dong quai that are chemically similar to the female hormone estrogen.

The randomized, double blind, placebo-controlled trial involved 46 middle-aged men and 34 postmenopausal women; all subjects had similar LDL concentrations at the beginning of the study. Subjects received either 40 mg/d of biochanin-enriched red clover isoflavones, 40 mg/d of formononetin-enriched red clover isoflavones (formononeitin is a daidzein precursor; daidzein is also an isoflavone) or placebo for six weeks. Plasma lipids were measured twice at the end of each treatment period. Researchers found LDL cholesterol was significantly reduced in male subjects who received biochanin-enriched isoflavones compared to subjects who received formonoetin-enriched isoflavones or placebo; no LDL-lowering effect was seen in female subjects.