The effects ofElaeagnus angustifoliaL. on lipid and glycaemic profiles and cardiovascular function in menopausal women: A double‐blind, randomized, placebo‐controlled study

Abstract

Aims The reduced production of ovarian hormones is considered to be the cause of an increase in the incidence of heart disease in women after menopause. Phytoestrogens are found in various herbal sources and are considered as an alternative to hormone therapy because of structural similarity with oestrogen. Elaeagnus angustifolia L., known as Senjed in Persian, is used in Iranian traditional medicine with various medicinal properties, contains valuable compounds, including two types of phytoestrogens. The aim of the present study was to investigate the efficacy of E. angustifolia fruit on the cardiovascular function, lipid and glycaemic profiles in postmenopausal women. Methods In this double‐blind placebo‐controlled clinical trial, 58 postmenopausal women were randomly assigned into two experimental groups of medicinal herb (15 g/day of the whole E. angustifolia fruit powder) and placebo (15 g/day of isomalt + corn starch). Before the trial and after 10 weeks of the treatment, cardiovascular function (heart rate, blood pressure), serum glycaemic profile (fasting blood glucose; glycated haemoglobin, HbA1C), insulin and lipid profile (total cholesterol, TC; triglyceride, TG; LDL‐C and HDL‐C) were measured. Results Heart rate, and serum level of LDL‐C and HDL‐C significantly decreased after treatment with E. angustifolia. Changes in glycaemic profile were not clinically significant. In addition, some studied biochemical parameters significantly changed in the placebo group. Conclusions E. angustifolia was somewhat effective in improving cardiovascular function and lipid profile, as well as the overall health of postmenopausal women. However, the use of isomalt and corn starch in menopausal women needs further investigation.

The Effects of Elaeagnus angustifolia L. on the Thyroid-Stimulating Hormone, Dehydroepiandrosterone-Sulfate, Prolactin and Cortisol Levels in Post-Menopausal Women: A Double-Blind, Randomized, and Placebo-Controlled Study

“…Accordingly, its consumption is highly recommended to maintain health in elderly, especially women. In the present study and the continuation of our previous studies (Emaminia et al, 2020;Shabani et al, 2020), the effect of E. angustifolia on some serum hormones was studied in postmenopausal women for the first time.…”

“…Increased TSH levels also lead to hypercholesterolemia and hypertriglyceridemia (Wanjia et al, 2012). Although the decrease in PRL was not significant after treatment with herbal medicine, we previously showed that E. angustifolia treatment also significantly reduced LDL-C and improved cardiovascular function and lipid profile in postmenopausal women (Shabani et al, 2020). Therefore, it can be concluded that the overall effect of changes in the two hormones TSH and PRL after treatment with herbal medicine on the lipid profile and cardiovascular function was positive.…”

“…In the initial assessment, blood pressure, heart rate, total cholesterol, and FSH levels were evaluated to confirm being menopause. Women who were included in the study did not have a risk factor for not using medication to reduce their lipid level or did not have any history of receiving hormone injections in the last 6 months, and also had no history of daily intake or allergy to E. angustifolia ( Emaminia et al, 2020 ; Shabani et al, 2020 ).…”

“…Desirable effects of E. angustifolia have been investigated in some cases such as wound repairing ( Moezzi et al, 2009 ), the treatment of knee osteoarthritis ( Ali Shiri et al, 2007 ), analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects in mice ( Hosseinzadeh et al, 2003 ; Karimi et al, 2010 ), and symptomatic oral lichen planus ( Taheri et al, 2010 ). The present study is a continuation of the previous works by Emaminia et al (2020) and Shabani et al (2020) and aims to investigate the effect of ripe E. angustifolia whole fruit on the serum level of TSH, DHEA-S, PRL, cortisol, and their ratios in postmenopausal women.…”

“…(Russian olive), known as Senjed in Persian, has high antioxidant activity and flavonoids in fruits (peel, flesh, and seeds) ( Faramarz et al, 2015 ; Hamidpour et al, 2017 ). Senjed is used in Iranian traditional medicine (ITM) in the treatment of abdominal distension, diarrhea, jaundice and hemorrhoids, and for the heart and lungs, knee osteoarthritis, and joint pain ( Mahboubi, 2018 ; Emaminia et al, 2020 ; Shabani et al, 2020 ).…”