Prostate Power Rx with Daidzein
Physician Formulas
Formulated by Ray Sahelian, M.D.

With Saw Palmetto, Pygeum, Stinging Nettle, Quercetin, & 9 Key Ingredients for support of normal prostate size & urine flow

Prostate Power Rx is carefully formulated with important herbs and nutrients to provide optimal prostate health. Significant clinical research on benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) has been conducted on  the potent ingredients in Prostate Power Rx. This formula has been designed to support:

•  Normal prostate size
•  Cellular support against oxidants in the prostate

Supplement Facts
Saw Palmetto extract (standardized to contain 45% fatty acids - serenoa repens fruit)
Stinging Nettle 4:1 extract (urtica diocia root)
Quercetin flavonoid
Rosemary 4:1 extract (Rosemarinus officinales leaf)
Beta Sitosterol
Pygeum 4:1 bark extract (Pygeum Africanum)
Daidzein (standardized to contain 40% isoflavones)
Genistein (standardized to contain 40% isoflavones)
Lycopene (Lycoperscion escatatum fruit)

Directions: For maximum results, take 2 capsules a day before breakfast or lunch.

Click Prostate-Power-Rx for more information
Subscribe to a FREE Supplement Research Update newsletter. Twice a month we email a brief abstract of several studies on supplements and natural medicine topics, and their practical interpretation by Ray Sahelian, M.D.

Kudzu Recovery, 750 mg, 120 Tabs
Planetary Formulas
Botanical Support for Alcohol Cessation
Herbal Supplement

Kudzu Recovery features the roots and flowers of kudzu (Pueraria lobata), which have long been used in Chinese herbal medicine to help lessen the desire for alcohol. Researchers have identified two constituents in kudzu responsible for this activity, puerarin, daidzein and daidzin, which in animal research have been found to cause a similar effect. These are combined with coptis, a primary cleansing and liver-supporting herb from Chinese herbalism, and other key botanicals to support botanicals historically used to reduce cravings.

Lifestyle Recommendations: To decrease cravings, maintain adequate caloric intake by eating regularly scheduled meals, avoid simple sugar, and supplement with chromium and B-complex vitamin. Avoid excess stress, exercise regularly, and promote a calm mental state of well-being.

Supplement Facts
Amount Per 2 tablets:
Proprietary Blend: 1.5 g*
Kudzu root, Kudzu flower, Hovenia fruit, Coptis chinensis root, Poria Cocos sclerotium, Grifola sclerotium, Atractylodes root, Codonopsis root, Saussurea root, Shen Qu-Massa Fermentata extract, Green Citrus peel, Cardamom fruit and Ginger root.

Suggested Use: Two tablets, two or three times daily between meals, or as recommended by your health care professional.

*Daily Values Not Established.

Other Ingredients: sorbitol, stearic acid, colloidal silicon dioxide, modified cellulose gum and magnesium stearate.

Click Kudzu for details

Daidzein Chemistry
Genistein, daidzein, and coumestrol inhibit aromatase, 3beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase and 17beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (17beta-HSD). A newly isolated rod-shaped, gram-negative anaerobic bacterium from human feces, named Julong 732, was found to be capable of metabolizing the isoflavone dihydrodaidzein to S-equol under anaerobic conditions.

Inulin, Daizein, and genistein
Inulin in the diet or taken as a supplement increases the plasma concentrations of the soybean isoflavones daidzein and genistein. It appears that the absorption of genistein and daidzein is facilitated by inulin.

Daidzein Research Update
The soy isoflavone daidzein improves the capacity of tamoxifen to prevent mammary tumours.
Eur J Cancer. 2005 Mar;41(4):647-54. Epub 2005 Jan 18.
The aim of this study was to determine how the efficacy of tamoxifen is affected when combined with soy isoflavones. To address this, female Sprague-Dawley rats were placed on diets supplemented with tamoxifen, genistein, daidzein, or a combination of each isoflavone with tamoxifen; a week later mammary tumours were induced by 7,12 dimethylbenzanthracene. The most effective diet was the tamoxifen/daidzein combination. It reduced tumour multiplicity by 76%, tumour incidence by 35%, tumour burden by over 95%, and increased tumour latency by 62% compared with positive controls. The tamoxifen/daidzein combination diet was in all aspects more effective while the tamoxifen/genistein combination was less effective than the tamoxifen diet. The tamoxifen/daidzein diet significantly decreased 8-oxo-deoxyguanosine levels (an indicator of oxidative DNA damage) in the mammary glands. This study conclusively shows for the first time the combination of daidzein with tamoxifen produces increased protection against mammary carcinogenesis, while the combination of genistein with tamoxifen produces an opposing effect when compared with tamoxifen alone.

Gut bacterial metabolism of the soy isoflavone daidzein: exploring the relevance to human health.
Exp Biol Med (Maywood). 2005 Mar;230(3):155-70. Atkinson C, Frankenfeld CL, Lampe JW.
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, 1100 Fairview Avenue North, Seattle, WA
The indigenous intestinal microflora are involved in a variety of processes within the human body, and are important for maintaining host health. As such, interindividual differences in the ability to harbor certain intestinal bacteria might be associated with interindividual differences in health and/or disease susceptibility. In the last decade there has been considerable interest in phytoestrogen intakes in relation to human health. Daidzein, an isoflavone phytoestrogen found in soy, is metabolized to equol and O-desmethylangolensin (O-DMA) by intestinal bacteria. The specific bacterium/bacteria responsible for equol and O-DMA production in humans have yet to be identified definitively, but in vitro and animal studies have suggested that equol and O-DMA are more biologically active than their precursor daidzein. Interestingly, substantial interindividual differences in daidzein metabolism exist; following soy or daidzein consumption, approximately 30%-50% of the human population produce equol, and approximately 80%-90% produce O-DMA. Observational and intervention studies in humans have suggested that the ability to produce equol and O-DMA may be associated with reduced risk of certain diseases including breast and prostate cancers. However, relatively few studies have been conducted to date. In this review, we discuss the available evidence for a relationship between daidzeinmetabolizing phenotypes and human health, and suggest potential mechanisms for some of the reported relationships.

Soy isoflavone phyto-pharmaceuticals in interleukin-6 affections; Multi-purpose nutraceuticals at the crossroad of hormone replacement, anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory therapy.
Biochem Pharmacol. 2004 Sep 15;68(6):1171-85.
Interleukin-6 is a cytokine which plays a crucial role in immune physiology and is tightly controlled by hormonal feedback mechanisms. After menopause or andropause, loss of the normally inhibiting sex steroids (estrogen, testosterone) results in elevated IL6 levels that are further progressively increasing with age. Interestingly, excessive IL6 production promotes tumorigenesis (breast, prostate, lung, colon, ovarian), and accounts for several disease-associated pathologies and changes of advanced age, such as osteoporosis, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple myeloma, neurodegenerative diseases and frailty. In this respect, pharmacological modulation of IL6 gene expression levels may have therapeutic benefit in preventing cancer progression, ageing discomforts and restoring immune homeostasis. Over the last few decades, various immune-modulating nutrients have been identified, which interfere with IL6 gene expression. Currently, a broad range of phyto-pharmaceuticals with a claimed hormonal activity, called "phyto-estrogens", is recommended for prevention of various diseases related to a disturbed hormonal balance (i.e. menopausal ailments and/or prostate/breast cancer). In this respect, there is a renewed interest in soy isoflavones (genistein, daidzein, biochanin) as potential superior alternatives to the synthetic selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs), which are currently applied in hormone replacement therapy.

Biphasic effect of daidzein on cell growth of human colon cancer cells.
School of Medicine, Ningbo University, Ningbo 315211, China.
Colorectal cancer is one of the most common cancers in the world, poorly responding to available chemotherapeutic agents. To investigate whether natural molecules can inhibit colon cancer progression, we investigated a principle phytoestrogen found in soybean known as daidzein, and determined its effects on the human colon cancer cell line LoVo. LoVo cells were treated with 0.1, 1, 5, 10, 50 and 100 microM daidzein for 2, 3, 4 or 5 d. The results indicated that daidzein stimulated the growth of LoVo cells at 0.1 and 1 microM whereas at higher concentrations (10, 50 and 100 microM) cell growth was inhibited in a dose-dependent manner. Treatment of daidzein at 10, 50 and 100 microM resulted in cell cycle arrest at G0/G1 phase, DNA fragmentation and increases in caspase-3 activity. There were no changes in alkaline phosphatase activity (ALP), an indicator of cell differentiation, upon treatment with daidzein when compared to controls. These results indicate that daidzein has a biphasic effect on LoVo cell growth and its tumor suppressive effect is by means of cell cycle arrest and apoptosis but not through cell differentiation.

Equol, a metabolite of daidzein, inhibits bone loss in ovariectomized mice.
J Nutr. 2004 Oct;134(10):2623-7.
Soybean isoflavones have structures similar to that of estrogen and have received attention as alternatives to hormone replacement therapy for the prevention of postmenopausal osteoporosis. Daidzein, a major isoflavone found in soybean, is metabolized to equol by gut microflora, and the metabolite exhibits a stronger estrogenic activity than daidzein. However, there is no direct evidence that equol affects bone metabolism. These results suggest that equol, a major metabolite of daidzein, inhibits bone loss apparently without estrogenic activity in the reproductive organs of  mice without ovaries.

Effect of daidzein on cell growth, cell cycle, and telomerase activity of human cervical cancer in vitro.
 Int J Gynecol Cancer. 2004 Sep-Oct;14(5):882-8.
Phytoestrogens are some plant compounds exhibiting estrogen-like activities. However, some studies have shown that they also affect the growth of some nonhormone-dependent diseases. In this study, daidzein--one of the most common phytoestrogens--was used to investigate its effects on human cervical cancer cells HeLa in vitro. The inductive effects of apoptosis were more obviously observed in low-concentration groups. After HeLa cells were treated with daidzein, the expression of human telomerase catalytic subunit mRNA decreased. These meant that daidzein affected human nonhormone-dependent cervical cancer cells in several ways, including cell growth, cell cycle, and telomerase activity in vitro.

Daidzein together with high calcium preserve bone mass and biomechanical strength at multiple sites in ovariectomized mice.
Department of Nutritional Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON
As the prevalence of osteoporosis is increasing, and the adverse effects of hormone replacement therapy are evident, women are searching for natural alternatives such as soy isoflavones to help prevent postmenopausal osteoporosis. Daidzein is one of the most abundant isoflavones present in soy and it is unique as it can be further metabolized to equol, a compound with greater estrogenic activity than other isoflavones. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of purified daidzein in combination with high calcium (Ca) on preserving femur and lumbar vertebrae (LV1-LV4) bone mineral density (BMD) and biomechanical bone strength at three different sites (femur midpoint, femur neck and LV3) in ovariectomized mice. The results from this study suggest that the combination of daidzein and high Calcium favorably affect cortical and trabecular bone as indicated by femur and lumbar vertebrae BMD and biomechanical strength but much of this effect is mediated by the high Calcium diet. Further investigation is required to determine optimal dietary levels of daidzein and Ca with the long-term goal of developing a dietary strategy to prevent postmenopausal osteoporosis and related fragility fractures.

Clinical Characteristics and Pharmacokinetics of Purified Soy Isoflavones: Multiple-Dose Administration to Men with Prostate Neoplasia.
Nutr Cancer. 2004 Mar;48(2):160-170.
A phase I clinical trial was conducted to determine the safety, pharmacokinetic parameters, and efficacy of orally administered isoflavones (genistein and daidzein, potential cancer chemotherapeutic agents) over a 3-mo period in men with prostate neoplasia. Twenty men, ages 40 and above, with stage B, C, or D adenocarcinoma of the prostate were treated with a multiple-dose regimen of a soy isoflavone formulation (delivering approximately 300 or 600 mg/day genistein and half this much daidzein) for 84 days. The delivered dose of isoflavones was more than 10-fold higher than that typically taken by prostate cancer patients. In men with prostate cancer, relatively minor side effects of chronic isoflavone treatment were observed including some estrogenic effects (breast changes, increased frequency of hot flashes). Serum dehydroepiandrosterone was decreased by 31.7% (P = 0.0004) at the end of treatment. Except for those subjects whose prostate-specific antigen (PSA) values were below 0.4 ng/ml, subjects had a history of increasing PSA levels prior to the trial. This increase continued during the trial both while on soy isoflavones and after treatment was discontinued. On average the rate of rise accelerated after soy isoflavones were discontinued, but that difference did not attain statistical significance. Genistein and daidzein were rapidly cleared from plasma and excreted in urine. Pharmacokinetic data for chronic dose administration were similar to single-dose administration for the isoflavones investigated except that we observed slightly longer circulation time for daidzein.

Metabolism of daidzein by intestinal bacteria from rhesus monkeys (Macaca mulatta).
Comp Med. 2004 Apr;54(2):165-9.
PURPOSE: To identify the metabolites produced from an isoflavonoid, daidzein, by colonic bacteria of rhesus monkeys. METHODS: The metabolism of daidzein by the fecal bacteria of nine monkeys was investigated. Daidzein was incubated anaerobically with fecal bacteria, and the metabolites were analyzed by use of liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry. RESULTS: The fecal bacteria of all of the monkeys metabolized daidzein to various extents. Dihydrodaidzein was found in cultures of fecal bacteria from two monkeys; dihydrodaidzein and equol were found in cultures from four monkeys; dihydrodaidzein, equol, and an unknown metabolite (MW = 244) were found in cultures from one monkey; and dihydrodaidzein and the unknown metabolite were found in cultures from two monkeys. CONCLUSIONS: Similar to that in humans, variation was evident in the metabolism of isoflavonoids by fecal bacteria from rhesus monkeys. Some metabolites produced by fecal bacteria from monkeys were the same as those produced by fecal bacteria from humans.

Dietary phytoestrogen intake and premenopausal breast cancer risk in a German case-control study.
Int J Cancer. 2004 Jun 10;110(2):284-90.
A diet high in isoflavonoids (soy) is associated with lower breast cancer risk in Asian populations. Due to the low soy intake, dietary lignans may be the more important phytoestrogen class in Western populations. We used a population-based case-control study of breast cancer by age 50 in southern Germany to evaluate the association between dietary intake of different phytoestrogens and premenopausal breast cancer risk. Dietary information was collected from 278 premenopausal cases and 666 age-matched controls, using a validated FFQ. Using multivariate logistic regression, the highest vs. lowest intake quartiles of daidzein and genistein yielded significantly reduced ORs (95% CI) for breast cancer risk of 0.62 (0.40-0.95) and 0.47 (0.29-0.74), respectively. The protective effects of daidzein and genistein were found only for hormone receptor-positive tumors. High intake of other isoflavonoids, e.g., formononetin and biochanin A, as well as the sum of isoflavonoids were not associated with a decrease in risk. Breast cancer risk significantly decreased with a high intake of the plant lignan matairesinol (OR = 0.58, 95% CI 0.37-0.94) but not secoisolariciresinol or the sum of plant lignans. However, both estimated mammalian lignans, enterodiol and enterolactone, were inversely associated with breast cancer risk. No effect was found for total phytoestrogen intake. Our results suggest an important role of dietary intake of daidzein and genistein, despite low levels, as well as of matairesinol and mammalian lignans to reduce premenopausal breast cancer risk in this study population.

Effects of daidzein on estrogen-receptor-positive and negative pancreatic cancer cells in vitro.
World J Gastroenterol. 2004 Mar 15;10(6):860-3.
To study the effects of daidzein on human pancreatic cancer cells in vitro. Human estrogen-receptor (ER)-positive pancreatic cancer cells MiaPaCa-2 and ER-negative pancreatic cancer cells PANC-1 were treated by daidzein.  Daidzein inhibited the growth of MiaPaCa-2 and PANC-1 cells. Daidzein has antiproliferative effects on human estrogen-receptor-positive and negative pancreatic cancer cells, but their mechanisms may be different.

Anticarcinogenic properties of a daidzein -rich fraction isolated from soybean.
J Med Food. 2003 Fall;6(3):175-81.
The methanol extract of soybean powder contains an active component(s) that promotes the differentiation of HL-60 cells. Partial purification of the extract, using solvent fractionation and silica gel chromatography, produced an active fraction rich in daidzein. The daidzein -rich fraction was evaluated for its cancer preventive potential by assessing its cytotoxic activity and effect on the expression of the transforming growth factor beta (TGF-beta) family of cytokines and their receptors. Daidzen appeared to exert cytotoxic activity via an apoptotic pathway as evaluated by a DNA fragmentation assay and caspase-3 induction. Daidzen also increased the expression of TGF-beta2, but had little effect on the expression of other members of the TGF-beta family of cytokines and their receptors, or on the expression of the vascular endothelial growth factor gene. In conclusion, the Daidzen isolated from the methanol extract of soybean may have the potential to prevent tumorigenesis.

Daidzein Emails
Q.  Is there a way to test if you are an equol producer? ie.. I'm an average joe taking red clover twice a day (for hair loss) but also for prostate health. I would like to know if it's beneficial to me to keep taking this. Also, after reading a couple of the daidzein articles, I believe I have experienced my first "hot flash" the other night. It felt as though I was going to be sick, I got real hot then sweat on my forehead. I just thought I had caught a touch of the flu. Anyhow, I'm now thinking that I had a hot flash, because I'm taking too much daizden? hard to say, there aren't any guidelines for how much to take. Are the "herbal" drug companies any closer to creating an over the counter equol supplement so us thinning hair people can combat male pattern baldness?
     A. You ask good questions and we just don't have enough knowledge at this time to make any firm recommendations.

Q. Does daidzein help with hair growth?
     A. Theoretically it may since it converts into equol but what actually happens when ingested by humans for prolonged periods is difficult to predict.