Randomized, controlled study of the effects of raloxifene on high sensitivity C-reactive protein and serum lipids

To investigate the effects of raloxifene, on serum lipids and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) in healthy postmenopausal women. We studied the effect of raloxifene, on serum lipids and hs-CRP in 85 healthy postmenopausal women. Participants were randomly assigned to 60 mg daily raloxifene (43 subjects) for 6 months; the rest of the subjects were in the control group. Serum total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglyceride and hs-CRP levels were measured at baseline and at the sixth month in both groups. Raloxifene treatment resulted in a 26% reduction in serum hs-CRP concentrations at the sixth month, compared with the baseline levels (P < 0.05). At the sixth month, TC and LDL-C levels were significantly reduced by 60 mg daily raloxifene (6.8 and 5.6%, respectively) when compared with both the baseline levels and the control group. The results of our study showed that raloxifene at a dose of 60 mg daily reduces serum TC, LDL-C and hs-CRP levels significantly in healthy postmenopausal women. According to the results of the current study, we suggest that raloxifene may have a favorable effect on the prevention of cardiovascular disease in healthy postmenopausal women.