The Effects of Soy Isoflavones on Metabolic Status of Patients With Polycystic Ovary Syndrome.

Study answer

What this study found

Overall, 12 weeks of soy isoflavone supplementation produced a favorable metabolic, hormonal, and oxidative stress profile in women with PCOS. Insulin resistance markers improved, with significant time-by-group effects for insulin and HOMA-IR both < .001, and hormonal status improved as SHBG increased from 38.0 ± 8.7 to 41.9 ± 7.9 nmol/L, FAI fell from 0.12 ± 0.08 to 0.09 ± 0.06, and mFG scores declined from 14.7 ± 4.6 to 13.5 ± 4.1. Triglycerides also improved relative to placebo (time-by-group = .04), while total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, HDL-cholesterol, and hs-CRP showed no…

Study & population

Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in women aged 18 to 40 years with polycystic ovary syndrome diagnosed by Rotterdam criteria.

Intervention

Women received 50 mg/day soy isoflavones orally as capsules for 12 weeks.

Key limitation

The trial was small, single-center, and short in duration, which limits confidence in durability and generalizability.

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Original abstract