[Effects of soybean isoflavone on body weight and food utilization rate in ovariectomized rats].

Abstract

To investigate the inhibitory action of phytoestrogen soybean isoflavone on body weight increasing in ovariectomized rats that imitated postmenopausal women and the effect of decreasing food availability.
Four-month-old Wistar rats were sham-operated or ovariectomized by abdominal cavity operation and divided into Sham, Ovx, estrogen group(EC) and three isoflavone group and feed 16 weeks. The diet was prepared by ourselves and some contained diethylstilbestrol or different concentration of isoflavone. During the experiment, the rats weight and food intake were recorded. The food utilization rates of each group were calculated.
The result showed that high dosage of soybean isoflavone (187.4 mg/kg bw x d) can significantly inhibited OVX induced weight gain and inhibitory action decreased with the dose reduce. Compared with Sham and Ovx group, the food intake of isoflavone group decreased significantly but no different in 3 dosage group and higher than EC group. Compared with Ovx group, the food utilization rates of high isoflavone group decreased significantly but higher than EC group. Isoflavone not influenced the growth and organ/body rates of rats.
High dosage of isoflavone (187.4mg/kg bw x d) decreased OVX rat's weight gain significantly through reducing food utilization rate.