Macrobiotic Diet and Flax Seed: Effects on Estrogens, Phytoestrogens, & Fibrinolytic Factors

National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Status and phase

Completed

Phase 2

Conditions

Endometrial Cancer

Osteoporosis

Breast Cancer

Cardiovascular Diseases

Treatments

Behavioral: Macrobiotic dietary intervention

Behavioral: American Heart Association Step 2 diet + 10 g/day flax seed

Behavioral: American Heart Association Step 1 diet

Study type

Interventional

Funder types

NIH

Identifiers

NCT00010829

P50AT000090-01 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

P50AT000090-01P1

Details and patient eligibility

About

This study will assess whether alternative, high phytoestrogen dietary interventions result in favorable effects on biological parameters that have been associated with hormone-dependent cancers, cardiovascular disease, and osteoporosis.

Full description

Broad health effects of endogenous and exogenous estrogens on diseases of aging, including hormone-dependent cancers, cardiovascular disease, and osteoporosis, are generally recognized. For example, estrogen replacement therapy (ERT) may increase the risk of subsequent breast and endometrial cancer, but also decreases the risk of coronary disease and fractures. Because of the increased cancer risk, many women seek out alternatives to ERT. Phytoestrogens, plant compounds that have estrogenic effects, have been a focus of interest as an alternative to ERT. The isoflavones and lignans are two major classes of phytoestrogens that occur in the food supply. Among the former, soy foods have attracted much interest, while among the latter, whole grains and seeds are sources in a typical diet. More specifically, women consuming a macrobiotic diet have been observed to have extremely high levels of phytoestrogen metabolites in their urine, perhaps 10 to 20 times that seen in women consuming an omnivorous diet. Proponents of a macrobiotic diet have proposed that it is beneficial in the context of cancer therapy, as well as for the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease.

This study will investigate, in a randomized, three-arm study, the effects of two interventions that are high in phytoestrogens on various parameters related to estrogen metabolism and fibrinolysis. Approximately 120 women will be randomized to receive an American Heart Association (AHA) Step 1 diet, an AHA Step 2 diet + 10 g/day flax seed, or a macrobiotic dietary intervention. Blood and urine samples will be drawn at baseline, and at three, six, nine, and twelve months, to examine both short and long-term effects of these interventions. Outcomes include blood and urine levels of total estrogens and estradiol, and related metabolites; antigens to plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) and tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA), fibrin D-dimer, and von Willebrand Factor; and endothelial function as measured by high-resolution ultrasound. Blood levels of antioxidant vitamins and retinoids will also be examined.

This study should provide information on whether these alternative, high phytoestrogen dietary interventions result in favorable effects on these biological parameters that are related to risk of major diseases of aging.

Sex

Female

Ages

50 to 72 years old

Volunteers

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion and exclusion criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

THIS TRIAL IS RECRUITING IN THE NEW YORK METRO AREA ONLY