Dietary vanillic acid prevents postmenopausal symptoms in ovariectomized mice

Postmenopausal women have an increased risk of developing metabolic diseases, such as osteoporosis, obesity, and diabetes. Thus, chemoprophylaxis for postmenopausal symptoms through the daily diet is critical. Vanillic acid (VA) is a phenolic compound found in the herbal medicine “Toki” (Angelica acutiloba) and the mycelium of the shiitake mushroom Lentinula edodes. VA has no affinity for estrogen receptors and may offer preventive effects against these diseases. Here, we demonstrate the metabolic effects of VA in ovariectomized mice. Ten-week-old ovariectomized mice were fed a VA-containing diet (100 mg/kg body weight/day) for 10 weeks. Dietary VA significantly prevented femoral bone mineral density loss and also reduced the increases in glucose levels and white adipose tissue weights compared with those in the control group. Furthermore, uterine enlargement was not observed because of these beneficial effects. Our findings suggest that VA has the potential to mitigate postmenopausal symptoms in ovariectomized mice without estrogenic action.