Effects of isoflavones on lipid and apolipoprotein levels in patients with type 2 diabetes in Heilongjiang Province in China

In this study, we examined the association between soy isoflavones and lipid profiles, apolipoprotein levels in patients with type 2 diabetes in China. The study population was composed of 120 cases (80 women with type 2 diabetes and 40 healthy women). Objects in treatment group received isoflavones 435 mg/day for 2 months, then lipid profiles were analyzed by the colorimetry method and apolipoprotein levels were determined by immune turbidimetric method. And all the indexes were determined after oral glucose tolerance test. The levels of total cholesterol, triglyceride and LDL-C significantly reduced and the levels of HDL-C and apolipoprotein A1 significantly raised in the treatment group after intervention (p<0.05). After oral glucose tolerance test, the level of total cholesterol was lower at postprandial 6 h than at empty stomach in treatment group, it had significantly difference (p<0.05). LDL-C levels in the treatment group not only decreased after intervention, but also was significantly lower at postprandial 4, 6 h than in non-intervention group. The ratio of apolipoprotein A1/apolipoprotein B at postprandial 2 h was the highest after treatment in isoflavone group. Supplementation with 435 mg/day of isoflavones exerted favorable effect on the blood total cholesterol, LDL-C levels and the ratio of apolipoprotein A1/apolipoprotein B in Chinese type 2 diabetes women.