A New Study by Complife: Bone Turnover in Postmenopausal Women

21 September 2023

Estrogen deficiency is a major cause of loss of postmenopausal bone mineral density (BMD). After menopause, women lose 3% of their BMD each year. This loss is typically associated with osteoporosis, a common chronic disease responsible for reduced bone strength, disruption of bone architecture, and an increased risk of fracture.

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of a dietary supplement which contains equol and resveratrol on bone turnover biomarkers in postmenopausal women.

PARTICIPANTS

– 76 menopausal women were finally included in the study.

INCLUSION CRITERIA

– Menopause according to the WHO definition (after 12 consecutive months without menstruation);

– Case history characterized by menopausal complaints such as hot flushes, anxiety, emotional instability, sleep disorders, and depression;

– 20 kg/m2 ≥ BMI < 25 kg/m2.

TIMING

– The study required the use of the product/placebo for 12 consecutive months (as done in other studies investigating the effects of equol on bone metabolism in postmenopausal women). One of the key of success of the study was that the majority of subjects were kept involved for this long period of time.

TESTING METHODS

– Measurement of Bone Markers
Blood samples were centrifuged at 1200 g for 15 min at 4 °C, and serum samples were separated, divided into aliquots, and stored at −80 °C until analysis. Parameters of bone metabolism, such as OC and BAP, were measured by an electrochemiluminescence assay (ECLIA) (Roche Diagnostics, Mannheim, Germany). The serum level of TRACP-5b was measured using a fragment-absorbed immunocapture enzymatic assay (Quidel Corporation, San Diego, CA, USA).

A complete 24 h urine collection was conducted at the beginning and end of the intervention and aliquots were stored at −80 °C until analysis. Urinary DPD concentrations were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) (Shimadzu, Kyoto, Japan).

– Measurement of BMD

The whole-body BMD was assessed by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) using a Lunar Prodigy Primo device (GE Healthcare, Chicago, IL, USA) with the Encore v.1 Windows XP software platform.

Complife was involved in the investigation process of this study and could follow its development throughout the 12 months until the sharing of the final results, that you can find in the complete study below.