Participants included 474 post-menopausal women from 45 to 75 years of age. Subjects took either 600 mg of ipriflavone daily or a placebo. Researchers measured the women's bone density at the spine, hip and forearm every three months. No difference in bone density between the groups was found. Additionally, the ipriflavone group had lower levels of lymphocytes than the placebo group.
Lymphocytes are a type of immune cell that is involved in tumor and antimicrobial surveillance.
The day after the JAMA research was published, Technical Sourcing International, a Missoula, Mont.-based nutraceutical researcher, producer and supplier, released statements calling into question the legitimacy of the study. TSI also points to abnormalities in the study that suggest the results could be population dependent. Only 4.5 percent of the placebo group experienced new bone fractures, compared to 21 percent in similar populations. The company also says that while the report states that ipriflavone does not prevent bone loss, according to the study's data, bone-mass densities were stable over time. Of course it is no surprise that the mainstream press is quick to embrace it and continues to malign dietary supplements.