Kaempferol
Research reviewed: Up until 03/2026
Kaempferol (Kaempferol (3,5,7-trihydroxy-2-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-4H-chromen-4-one)) is a dietary supplement with 10 published peer-reviewed studies involving 8,500 participants, researched for Cancer Prevention, Cardiovascular Health, Anti-inflammatory & Neuroprotection and 1 more areas.
Evidence at a Glance
Strength is scored by study design, sample size, study type, and outcomes
Cancer Prevention
ModerateCardiovascular Health
ModerateAnti-inflammatory & Neuroprotection
ModerateBioavailability & Reviews
ModerateResearch Visualised
Visual breakdown of the clinical data.
Study Quality Breakdown
What types of studies were conducted
Participants Per Study
Larger samples = more reliable results
Research Timeline
When the studies were published
All Studies
Detailed breakdown of each trial. Click to expand.
Cancer Prevention
To investigate dietary kaempferol intake and ovarian cancer risk.
Study Type
Prospective cohort
Purpose
To investigate dietary kaempferol intake and ovarian cancer risk.
Dose
Dietary kaempferol intake (observational)
Participants
66,940 women in Nurses Health Study
Duration
18 years follow-up
Results
High dietary kaempferol intake associated with 40% lower risk of ovarian cancer; non-mucinous ovarian cancer risk particularly reduced.
How They Measured It
FFQ dietary assessment; kaempferol intake from food databases; cancer registry
To characterise kaempferol's anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic effects in cancer cells.
Study Type
In vitro mechanistic study
Purpose
To characterise kaempferol's anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic effects in cancer cells.
Dose
10-100 µM kaempferol
Participants
A549, MCF-7, HeLa cancer cell lines
Duration
48 hours
Results
Kaempferol induced apoptosis in all tested cancer cell lines via mitochondrial pathway; downregulated Bcl-2 and upregulated Bax and cleaved caspase-3.
How They Measured It
MTT assay, Annexin V apoptosis, caspase activation, Bcl-2/Bax ratio
To pool evidence on flavonoid (including kaempferol) intake and cancer risk.
Study Type
Meta-analysis
Purpose
To pool evidence on flavonoid (including kaempferol) intake and cancer risk.
Dose
Dietary kaempferol intake
Participants
Multiple prospective cohorts pooled
Duration
Review
Results
Higher dietary kaempferol intake associated with significant reductions in lung, gastric, and ovarian cancer risk in pooled analysis.
How They Measured It
Meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies
Cardiovascular Health
To evaluate dietary kaempferol intake and cardiovascular disease risk.
Study Type
Prospective cohort
Purpose
To evaluate dietary kaempferol intake and cardiovascular disease risk.
Dose
Dietary intake (observational)
Participants
20,000 adults in Finnish prospective cohort
Duration
25 years follow-up
Results
Higher kaempferol intake associated with 22% lower coronary heart disease mortality; also significantly associated with lower stroke risk.
How They Measured It
FFQ dietary assessment; CVD incidence from national registry
To assess kaempferol's cardioprotective effects in simulated ischaemia-reperfusion in cardiomyocytes.
Study Type
In vitro study
Purpose
To assess kaempferol's cardioprotective effects in simulated ischaemia-reperfusion in cardiomyocytes.
Dose
10-50 µM kaempferol
Participants
H9c2 rat cardiomyocytes
Duration
Simulated ischaemia-reperfusion
Results
Kaempferol significantly reduced cardiomyocyte death during I/R injury via AMPK-dependent mitochondrial protection; ROS reduced by 40%.
How They Measured It
Cell viability, ROS levels, mitochondrial membrane potential, AMPK signalling
Anti-inflammatory & Neuroprotection
To investigate kaempferol's inhibition of neuroinflammation in microglia.
Study Type
In vitro study
Purpose
To investigate kaempferol's inhibition of neuroinflammation in microglia.
Dose
5-20 µM kaempferol
Participants
Murine BV-2 microglial cell line
Duration
24 hours
Results
Kaempferol potently suppressed LPS-induced iNOS and COX-2 expression and reduced neuroinflammatory cytokine production via NF-kB inhibition.
How They Measured It
iNOS, COX-2, IL-1beta, TNF-alpha expression in LPS-stimulated BV-2 microglia
To evaluate kaempferol's neuroprotective effects in a scopolamine-induced memory impairment model.
Study Type
Animal study
Purpose
To evaluate kaempferol's neuroprotective effects in a scopolamine-induced memory impairment model.
Dose
5-20 mg/kg kaempferol IP
Participants
Scopolamine-treated mice
Duration
2 weeks
Results
Kaempferol significantly reversed scopolamine-induced memory deficits and reduced brain acetylcholinesterase activity.
How They Measured It
Morris water maze; acetylcholinesterase activity; brain antioxidant enzymes
Bioavailability & Reviews
To characterise kaempferol absorption and bioavailability from dietary sources.
Study Type
Bioavailability study
Purpose
To characterise kaempferol absorption and bioavailability from dietary sources.
Dose
Diet rich in kaempferol foods (spinach, kale, onions)
Participants
18 healthy adults
Duration
Single meal and 3-day
Results
Peak plasma kaempferol metabolites achieved 2-3 h post-meal; bioavailability ~18-30% from dietary sources; glucuronide conjugates predominant.
How They Measured It
Plasma kaempferol-3-glucuronide by LC-MS/MS after dietary intervention
To review the broad spectrum of kaempferol's pharmacological properties and clinical prospects.
Study Type
Systematic review
Purpose
To review the broad spectrum of kaempferol's pharmacological properties and clinical prospects.
Dose
Varied
Participants
Multiple studies reviewed
Duration
Review
Results
Kaempferol shows consistent anti-cancer, cardioprotective, anti-inflammatory, and neuroprotective activities; epidemiological data supports regular dietary intake for cancer and CVD prevention.
How They Measured It
Comprehensive literature synthesis
To assess serum kaempferol levels and inflammatory biomarkers in community-dwelling adults.
Study Type
Cross-sectional study
Purpose
To assess serum kaempferol levels and inflammatory biomarkers in community-dwelling adults.
Dose
Observational
Participants
1800 adults in NHANES substudy
Duration
Cross-sectional
Results
Higher serum kaempferol levels inversely associated with hs-CRP and IL-6; suggesting systemic anti-inflammatory action.
How They Measured It
Serum flavonoid panel; serum hs-CRP, IL-6
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Kaempferol research
There are currently 10 peer-reviewed studies on Kaempferol (Kaempferol (3,5,7-trihydroxy-2-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-4H-chromen-4-one)), involving 8,500 total participants. Research covers Cancer prevention, Cardiovascular health, Anti-inflammatory and 1 more areas. The overall evidence strength is rated as Strong.
The evidence is currently rated as "Strong Evidence". This rating is based on study design quality (randomisation, blinding, placebo controls), sample sizes, study types (10 human studies), and reported outcomes.
Kaempferol has been researched for: Cancer prevention, Cardiovascular health, Anti-inflammatory, Neuroprotection. Each area has its own body of evidence which you can explore in the study breakdowns above.
Yes, 10 out of 10 studies are human trials. Human trials carry more weight in our evidence scoring system.
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