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Medical AI Inquiry: You was designed to assist in medical decision-making based on the provided user questions. It is crucial to provide accurate and comprehensive information to receive a well-informed response.  Labels: OBJECTIVE, METHODS, METHODS, METHODS, METHODS, METHODS, RESULTS. Meshes: Aged, Analysis of Variance, Anticholesteremic Agents, Cholesterol, LDL, Cross-Over Studies, Dietary Supplements, Double-Blind Method, Female, Genistein, Humans, Isoflavones, Male, Middle Aged, Postmenopause, Sex Factors, Treatment Outcome, Trifolium.
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Does a biochanin-enriched isoflavone from red clover lower LDL cholesterol in men? Context: To determine whether the two major isoflavones in red clover differ in their effect on low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C). A randomised, placebo-controlled, double-blind trial; two parallel groups taking one of the two isoflavones within which treatment and placebo were administered in a crossover design. Free-living volunteers. A total of 46 middle-aged men and 34 postmenopausal women. Two mixtures of red clover isoflavones enriched in either biochanin (n=40) or formononetin (n=40) were compared. Placebo and active treatment (40 mg/day) were administered for 6 weeks each in a crossover design within the two parallel groups. Plasma lipids were measured twice at the end of each period. Baseline LDL-C concentrations did not differ significantly between men (n=46) and women (n=34), nor between those randomised to biochanin or formononetin. Interaction between time and treatments, biochanin, formononetin and corresponding placebos (two-way ANOVA) on LDL-C showed a significant effect of biochanin treatment alone. The biochanin effect was confined to men; median LDL-C was 3.61 (3.05-4.14) mmol/l with biochanin and 3.99 (3.16-4.29) mmol/l with the corresponding placebo (RM ANOVA with Dunnett's adjustment P<0.05). The difference between placebo and biochanin effects on LDL-C was 9.5%. No other lipid was affected and women failed to respond significantly to treatment.
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Isolated isoflavones from red clover enriched in biochanin (genistein precursor) but not in formononetin (daidzein precursor), lowered LDL-C in men. This may partly explain the previous failure to demonstrate cholesterol-lowering effects with mixed isoflavones studied predominantly in women. Final Decision: yes