A dietary supplement containing isoflavone, a chemical present in soybeans, chickpeas, legumes and clovers, may improve arterial health among stroke patients.
Researchers from the University of Hong Kong, China, investigated the effect of oral isoflavone supplementation on the lining of the arteries. They recruited patients who had experienced an ischaemic stroke and gave them either an isoflavone supplement at 80mg per day, or a placebo.
After 12 weeks, the patients’ brachial flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) was tested. This measures how well the brachial artery (the main artery in the arm) dilates in response to an increase in blood flow. Participants who took isoflavone scored significantly better on the test than those who took placebo.
In the European Heart Journal yesterday, the researchers state: "Isoflavone treatment was independently associated with significantly less impairment of FMD at 12 weeks."
They add that the effect was inversely related to baseline FMD, suggesting the benefit is more pronounced in patients with more severe artery damage.
Isoflavone led to a significant decrease in serum C-reactive protein, but did not affect blood pressure, heart rate, serum levels of fasting glucose and insulin, or oxidative stress.
The team conclude that 12 weeks of isoflavone treatment improves brachial FMD in patients with severe atherosclerosis. They write: "The treatment effect of isoflavone in our study was comparable with lifestyle changes with endurance training or pharmacological interventions with statin therapy.
"These findings may have important implication for the use of isoflavone for secondary prevention in patients with cardiovascular disease, on top of conventional interventions," they suggest.
Chan Y-H, et al. Reduction of C-reactive protein with isoflavone supplement reverses endothelial dysfunction in patients with ischaemic stroke. The European Heart Journal, published online September 24, 2008.
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