Ipriflavone Supplementation for Osteoporosis
Prevention and Treatment?
Ipriflavone is a synthetic isoflavone
derivative, which has been suggested to be an
inhibitor of bone resorption and a stimulator of
osteoblast activity in vitro in cell cultures
and in vivo in experimental models of
osteoporosis. Preliminary studies, mainly
performed in Italy and Japan, suggested that
ipriflavone (typical dosage 600 mg/day) is able
to prevent bone loss, and some data even
suggested that ipriflavone may increase bone
mass in postmenopausal women. However, reports
of lymphocytopenia in women taking ipriflavone
generated concerns regarding the safety of this
particular compound. In order to investigate the
effect of oral ipriflavone in prevention of
postmenopausal bone loss and to assess the
safety profile of long-term treatment with
ipriflavone in postmenopausal osteoporotic
women, a prospective, randomized,
placebo-controlled 4-year study was conducted in
474 postmenopausal white women with bone mineral
densities below the threshold for a diagnosis of
osteoporosis, according to World Health
Organization classification (ie, a bone mineral
density less than 2.5 standard deviations below
the young adult mean).[1] The study
concluded that ipriflavone, at the daily dose of
600 mg per day, combined with calcium 500 mg per
day, had no significant benefit in terms of
biochemical markers of bone remodeling, bone
mineral density, or fracture incidence.
Furthermore, lymphocytopenia occurred in a
significant number of women treated with
ipriflavone. The study investigators concluded
that ipriflavone could not be considered an
effective or safe medication in the treatment of
osteoporosis. Use of this medication should be
discouraged until more data allow
reconsideration of this position.
