title: Effect of 6 months of exercise and isoflavone supplementation on clinical cardiovascular risk factors in obese postmenopausal women: a randomized, double-blind study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate whether 6 months of exercise combined with isoflavone supplementation could improve clinical risk factors that predispose to cardiovascular disease in obese postmenopausal women.
  
  
  METHODS
  This was a randomized, double-blind, controlled trial in which 50 healthy obese postmenopausal women were divided into two groups and assigned to isoflavone supplementation (n=25) or a placebo (n=25) for 1 year. For the last 6 months, both groups participated in an exercise program (three times per week), at the end of which cardiovascular disease risk factors were compared between groups. Body composition (using dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry), metabolic profile (blood lipids, fasting insulin, fasting glucose, sex hormone-binding globulin, C-reactive protein) were determined at baseline and at 6 and 12 months.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We observed a significant effect of exercise and isoflavone supplementation on body weight, total and abdominal fat mass (kilograms and percentage), body mass index, appendicular fat-free mass, fat-free mass/fat mass ratio, and sex hormone-binding globulin, but not with exercise alone. No difference was observed for other biochemical characteristics, although the quantitative insulin sensitivity check index increased equally in both groups. Conversely, although not significant, we observed a tendency for a treatment effect on body mass index (P=0.07) and on absolute (kilograms) (P=0.07) and percentage of (P=0.053) abdominal fat mass, whereas no effect of treatment was found for other variables using the Mann-Whitney test.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Compared to an aerobic exercise program alone, 70 mg/day of isoflavones combined with exercise may promote significant improvements in body composition parameters that are known to influence cardiovascular disease risk in postmenopausal women.
authors.affiliation: Research Centre on Aging, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada.
authors.forename: Mylène
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Aubertin-Leheudre
authors.forename: Christine
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lord
authors.forename: Abdelouahed
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Khalil
authors.forename: Isabelle J
authors.initials: IJ
authors.lastname: Dionne
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001786:Blood Glucose; D001823:Body Composition; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL / Q000097:blood; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL / Q000097:blood; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D015444:Exercise; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007328:Insulin / Q000097:blood; D007529:Isoflavones / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000628:therapy*; D008517:Phytotherapy; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000008:administration & dosage; D017698:Postmenopause; D012307:Risk Factors; D013025:Glycine max; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D008076:Cholesterol, HDL; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL; D007328:Insulin; D007529:Isoflavones; D010936:Plant Extracts; D014280:Triglycerides