Ipriflavone
syn. 7-isopropoxyisoflavone
PERFORMANCE VALIDATION SCORES
Combined 4
Clinical Support Rating 2
Empirical Evidence Rating 2
Description
Ipriflavone (7-isopropoxyisoflavone) is
isoflavonoid from soy. Isoflavonoids belong to a
much larger family of flavonoids, which are a group of natural polyphenolic compounds widely found in.fruits and vegetables. These compounds generally have antioxidant activities, and may be responsible for some of the health-promoting aspects of fruits and vegetables. Depending on individual structure, many flavonoid compounds also possess additional biological activity. Flavonoids are extremely common and diverse in structure, however, which makes determining the potential unique biological activity of each very difficult.
Ipriflavone is considered a phytoestrogen (a plant estrogen). In humans it does not appear to be appreciably estrogenic, but does support some estrogen-linked biological functions. Its most notable activity is the support of calcium retention in bones. Although its exact mode of action in this process is unknown, it appears in part to increase the absorption of calcium from the intestinal tract. It also appears to directly
support bone mineral density, both by activating mature osteoclast cells, and by stimulating the formation of new osteoclasts via estrogen-induced calcitonin secretion. Ipriflavone is regarded as a medicinal product in several countries including Italy, Japan, and
Hungary, where it is commonly used to treat osteoporosis. Ipriflavone has been widely promoted by sports nutrition manufacturers to improve exercise performance, especially with regard to increasing muscle mass and
strength. There is, however, little clinical or empirical evidence to link such muscle-anabolic activity to this compound. While it has been shown to increase IGF-1 expression (Insulin-Like Growth Factor-1, an anabolic hormone) in bone during animal studies, no muscle-supportive metabolic changes have been documented in peer-reviewed studies with the use of this
phytoestrogen in humans. Presently, it is unknown if there is any anabolic or performance-enhancing activity inherent in ipriflavone.
Promoted Benefits
Ipriflavone is promoted to help increase muscle mass, strength, and athletic performance.
Clinical Studies
The use of ipriflavone as a sport supplement is supported by animal data only. Its Clinical Support Rating is 2 (2/5).
Sport supplement manufacturers commonly cite the original 1970’s patents for this supplement when discussing its anabolic activity…
This data cannot be considered reliable, however, as it does not come from a peer-reviewed scientific study, and may be the subject of bias. It is also well understood that the United States Patent Office is focused much more on the novelty and unobvious nature of an invention that validating the scientific methods contained in it. One peer reviewed clinical study that could be supportive of ipriflavone is a paper disclosing its effect on bone IGF-1 expression in rats. As part of this investigation, some animals were given injections of this isoflavonoid at a dose of 100 mg/kg of body weight daily for 65 days. Animals given ipriflavone were shown to have more IGF-1 in the femur bone than those not receiving the injections. In this study, the IGF-1 increase was not accompanied by an increase in bone mineral density. This information is far from conclusive. More research is needed to determine if there is any ergogenic value to the use of ipriflavone in exercising humans.
Empirical Evidence:
Ipriflavone has been widely used as a stand-alone product. Unfortunately, the feedback on the use of this as a sport supplement tends to be negative. Most users fail to notice any of the touted benefits with regard to muscle mass and strength gains, nor improvements in athletic performance. While a small percentage of users do seem to report that they may have received positive results, the frequency and consistency of such reports is low. As such, these positive reports could be the result of placebo effect. Ipriflavone has an Empirical Evidence Rating of 2 (2/5).
Effective Dosage
An effective dosage of this supplement has not been established. Manufacturers commonly recommend 500-1,000 mg per day.
Side Effects / Safety
Ipriflavone was well tolerated during clinical studies, with no significant side effects. A small percentage of users appear to notice gastrointestinal distress (loose stool, nausea, diarrhea).
