Table 4.

Randomized, Controlled Trials of Red Clover for bone in postmenopausal women

Author, year	Design	Subjects	Intervention type and duration	Outcome
Clifton-Bligh, 2001 42	RCT with 3 groups. One month of placebo period followed by 6 months of treatment and 1 month of placebo washout. Placebo periods were single blinded.	Postmenopausal women Mean age range 55–59 n=46	The three doses of Rimostil were: 28 mg/d, 57 mg/d, and 85.5 mg/d of isoflavones. Duration: 6 months	BMD of radius and ulna increased significantly for women in medium and high treatment groups. Safety: endometrial thickness did not change significantly during treatment.
Atkinson, 2004 45	RCT with 2 groups: Placebo or isoflavone tablet	Pre, peri, and postmenopausal women Ages 49–65 N=205	Promensil tablet was uses as treatment. One tablet per day in intervention group. Duration: 12 months	Loss of lumbar spine BMC and BMD significantly lower in women taking supplement. Bone formation markers significantly increased in supplement group.
Schult, 2004 43	RCT with 3 groups: Promensil®, Rimostil®, and placebo	Perimenopausal women Ages 45 to 60 n=250	Promensil: Red clover extract with 41 mg isoflavones per tablet Rimostil: Red clover extract with 28.6 mg isoflavones per tablet. Two tablets per day of each treatment. Duration: 12 weeks	No significant differences between groups in bone turnover markers

^*Abbreviations: RCT=Randomized Controlled Trial, BMD=bone mineral density, BMC=bone mineral content