title: Effects of sea buckthorn oil intake on vaginal atrophy in postmenopausal women: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Vaginal atrophy, the thinning and drying of vaginal mucosa, is associated with menopause. The standard estrogen treatment is not suitable for all women.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the effects of oral sea buckthorn (SB) oil supplementation on vaginal atrophy.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 116 postmenopausal women experiencing symptoms of vaginal dryness, itching or burning were randomized to this placebo-controlled, double-blind study. Ninety-eight participants completed the intervention of three months, during which they consumed 3g of SB or placebo oil daily. At the beginning and end, factors of vaginal health were scored by a gynecologist, vaginal pH and moisture were measured and vaginal health index was calculated. Symptoms of atrophy and menopause were evaluated at study visits and by daily logbooks. Serum samples were collected for the analysis of circulating lipids, liver enzymes and C-reactive protein.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared to placebo, there was a significantly better rate of improvement in the integrity of vaginal epithelium in the SB group when both compliant and noncompliant participants were included (odds ratio (OR)=3.1, 95% CI 1.11-8.95). A beneficial trend was observed when only the compliant participants were included (OR=2.9; 95% CI 0.99-8.35). There was a tendency (P=0.08) toward better improvement of vaginal health index from baseline to the end in the SB group [(0.8 (SD 2.8)] compared to placebo [-0.1 (SD 2.0)].
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  SB oil showed beneficial effects on vaginal health, indicating it is a potential alternative for mucosal integrity for those women not able to use estrogen treatment for vaginal atrophy.
authors.affiliation: Aromtech Ltd, Tornio, Finland. Electronic address: petra.larmo@aromtech.com.
authors.forename: Petra S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Larmo
authors.affiliation: Food Chemistry and Food Development, Department of Biochemistry, University of Turku, Finland.
authors.forename: Baoru
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.affiliation: Statfinn Ltd, Turku, Finland.
authors.forename: Juha
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hyssälä
authors.affiliation: Food Chemistry and Food Development, Department of Biochemistry, University of Turku, Finland.
authors.forename: Heikki P
authors.initials: HP
authors.lastname: Kallio
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Central Hospital of Turku, Finland.
authors.forename: Risto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Erkkola
mesh_terms: D001284:Atrophy; D002097:C-Reactive Protein; D004311:Double-Blind Method; D004848:Epithelium; D005260:Female; D031281:Hippophae; D006801:Humans; D008593:Menopause; D008875:Middle Aged; D008517:Phytotherapy; D010938:Plant Oils / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D017698:Postmenopause; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014621:Vagina / Q000473:pathology*; D014623:Vaginal Diseases / Q000188:drug therapy*
chemical_list: D010938:Plant Oils; D002097:C-Reactive Protein
keywords: Menopause; Mucous membrane; Sea buckthorn; Vaginal atrophy