Assessment of safety and efficacy of methylsulfonylmethane on bone and knee joints in osteoarthritis animal model.

Methylsulfonylmethane (MSM), which is one of the popular ingredients of so-called health foods in Japan, is expected to relieve inflammation in arthritis and allergies. However, there is no scientific evidence to confirm the efficacy and safety of MSM in detail. In this study, we examined the effects of MSM on cartilage formation in growing rats (G) and cartilage degradation in STR/Ort mice (A), an accepted human osteoarthritis (OA) model.

Natural S-equol decreases bone resorption in postmenopausal, non-equol-producing Japanese women: a pilot randomized, placebo-controlled trial.

Objective: Equol is a metabolite of the isoflavone daidzein and may play a critical role in preventing bone loss by soy isoflavones in postmenopausal women. However, results from clinical trials have not been published. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of equol on bone metabolism and serum sex and thyroid hormone levels in postmenopausal Japanese women.

Effect of low dose vitamin K2 (MK-4) supplementation on bio-indices in postmenopausal Japanese women.

It has been reported that treatment with a pharmacological dose (45 mg/d) of menaquinone-4 (MK-4) prevents bone loss in postmenopausal women. However, it is not known whether supplementation with low dose MK-4 has beneficial effects on bone metabolism in healthy women. The aim of this study is to examine the effects of the supplementation of 1.

Isoflavone regulates lipid metabolism via expression of related genes in OVX rats fed on a high-fat diet.

Objective: To investigate the effects of isoflavone on body weight, fat mass, and gene expression in relation to lipid metabolism.

Methods: Thirty-six female SD rats were ovariectomized or sham-operated and fed on a high-fat diet. Two months later, abdominal incision was made, blood was collected to separate serum, and the liver and adipose tissue were immediately collected and weighed.

Possible role of equol status in the effects of isoflavone on bone and fat mass in postmenopausal Japanese women: a double-blind, randomized, controlled trial.

Objective: Equol is more biologically active than its precursor daidzein, which is the principal isoflavone found in soybean. There are interindividual differences in the ability to produce equol; these may lead to differences in the effects of isoflavone intervention on human health. This study aimed to investigate whether the effects of soy isoflavones on bone and fat mass are related to an individual's equol status.

Soybean isoflavones preserve bone mass in hindlimb-unloaded mice.

It is well known that skeletal unloading induces bone loss. It has been shown that soybean isoflavones are effective in preventing bone loss in osteoporotic animals. We investigated the ability of isoflavones to protect bone loss induced by hindlimb unloading by using a tail-suspension mouse model.

Effects of isoflavone and exercise on BMD and fat mass in postmenopausal Japanese women: a 1-year randomized placebo-controlled trial.

Unlabelled: The combined intervention of isoflavone intake and walking exercise over 1 year in postmenopausal Japanese women exhibited a trend for a greater effect on prevention of bone loss at the total hip and Ward's triangle regions.

Introduction: The additive effects of isoflavones and exercise on bone and lipid metabolism have been shown in estrogen-deficient animals. In this study, we determined the effects of isoflavone intake, walking exercise, and their interaction on bone, fat mass, and lipid metabolism over 1 year in postmenopausal Japanese women.

Effects of spirulina, a blue-green alga, on bone metabolism in ovariectomized rats and hindlimb-unloaded mice.

The safety and effectiveness were examined of the spirulina alga on bone metabolism in ovariectomized estrogen-deficient rats and hindlimb-unloaded mice. The dosage range was from an amount equal to that recommended in so-called health foods for humans (0.08 g/kg BW/day) to a 100-fold higher dose.