What are the benefits of a diet rich in phytoestrogens?
Keywords:
Phytoestrogens, Soy, Isofl avones, Genistein, Daidzein, EquolAbstract
The increasing number of people changing to a healthy diet,
especially regarding the use of meat substitutes such as soya
and its derivatives, the major source of phytoestrogens in the
human diet, necessitates a better understanding of the potential
benefi ts, or risks, of this product both on a pharmacologic and
potentially toxic level.
The fi rst reports of these compounds date from the 1940’s.
Several studies suggest that the eastern female population does
not suffer the same adverse symptoms associated with the
menopause as western women. This fact is related to the high
intake of soya in the normal asian diet. Presently, there is still a
worrying lack of incontrovertible studies on the potential benefits
of phytoestrogens. Despite some recent advances achieved in this
area there is still much to discover and explore. The objective of
this review is to resume what is know to date concerning phytoestrogens and to try to evaluate the relevance for human nutrition,
especially with respect to target populations
Downloads
References
Tham DM, Gardner CD, Haskell WL. Potential Health benefits of dietary Phytoestrogens: a review of the clinical, epidemiological and mechanism of evidence. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 1998; 83: 2223-2235.
Rose DP, Boyer AP, Winder EL. International comparison of mortality rates for cancer of the breast, ovary, prostate and colon, per capita fast consumption. Cancer 1986; 58: 2363-2371.
Loewe S, Lange F, Spohr E Uber. Weilich sexual hormone (thelytropine). Biochem Zeitschr 1927; 180:1-26.
Walz E. Isoflavon-und sapogenin-glucoside in soja hispania. Justus Liebigs Ann Chem 1931;489:118-155.
Bennetts HN, Underwood EJ, Shier FL. A specific breeding problem of sheep on subterranean clover pastures in Western Australia. Aust Vet J 1946; 22: 2-12.
Goldin BR, Adlercreutz H, Gorbach S, et. al. The Relationships between Estrogen levels and Diet of Caucasian American and Oriental Inmigrants women. Am J Clin Nutr 1986; 44: 945-953.
Lock M, Kaufert P, Gilbert P. Cultural construction of the menopausal syndrome: The Japanese case. Maturitas 1998; 10: 317-332.
Kelly G. Patent Application Number: PCT/AU93/000230, 1993.
Anderson JJB. & Garner SC. Phytoestrogens and Human function. Nutr. Today 1997; 32: 232-239.
Campos MG. Principais Aspectos Farmacológicos dos Fármacos e FitoFármacos. (2002/2003). Curso da ANF: Plantas Medicinais – Menopausa e Fitoterapia.
Brann et. al. Emerging diversities in the mechanism of action of steroid hormones. J. Steroid Biochem. Mol. Biol 195; 52: 113-133.
Kaufman PB, Cseke LJ. Natural Products from Plants. (1999) CRC Press LLC. Chap. 2.6.8: 86-87.
Adlercreutz H, Mazur W. Phytoestrogens and western disease. Ann. Med 997; 29:95-120.
Kao et. al., Molecular basis of the inhibition of human aromatase (estrogen ynthetase) by flavone and isoflavone phytoestrogens: a site directed mutagenicity study. Environ. Health Perspect 1998; 106: 85-92.
S. Palacios. Fitoestrógenos. Pag. 24. Pub. Elsevier Science 2001, Espanha.
Verdrengh et. al. Microbes Infect 2004; 6(1) :86-92.
Setchell KD, Cassidy A. Dietary Isoflavones: Biological effects and relevance to Human health. A J Nutr 1999; 129: 758s-767s.
Safe SH. Environmental and dietary estrogens and Human Health: Is there a problem? Environ. Health Perspect 1995; 103: 346-351.
Adlercreutz H, et. al. Plasma concentrations of Phytoestrogens in Japanese men. Lancet 1993; 342: 1209-1210.
Setchell KDR, et. al. Non-steroidal estrogens of dietary origin : possible roles in hormone dependent disease. Am J Clin Nutr 1984; 40: 569-578.
Moll MCN, Montalban, E. B. Fitoestrógenos: Posibilidades Terapéuticas. Revista de Fitoterapia 2000; 1 (3): 165-180.
Ruiz Larrea et. al. Antioxidant activity of phytoestrogens isoflavones. Free Radic. Res 1997; 26: 63-70.
Akiyama T. et. al. Genistein, a specific inhibitor of tyrosine-specific protein kinases. J Biol Chem 1987; 18: 2449-53.
Nagel SC, vom Saal FS, Welshons, WV. The effective free fraction of estradiol and xenoestrogens in human serum measured by whole cell uptake assays: physiology of delivery modifies estrogenic activity. Proc Soc Exp Biol Med 1998; 217:300-309.
Descovich GC, Ceredi C, Gaddi A, et. al. Multicenter study of soybean protein diet for outpatient hypercholesterolaemic patients. Lancet 1980; II: 709-712.
Anderson JW, Bryan MJ, Cook-Newell ME. Meta-analysis of the effects of soy-protein intake on serum lipids. N Eng J Med 1995; 333: 228-233.
Sirtori CR. Risks and Benefits of Soy Phytoestrogens in Cardiovascular Diseases, Cancer, Climateric Symptoms and Osteoporosis. Drug Safety 2001; 24 (9). 665-682.
Vigna GB. et. al. Plasma lipoproteins in soy-treated postmenopausal women: a double-blind, placebo controlled trial. Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis 2000; 10:315-322.
Dewell A, Hollenbeck CB, Bruce B. The effects of soy derived phytoestrogens on serum lipids and lipoproteins in moderately hipercholesterolemic postmenopausal women. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2002; 87:118-121.
Food and Drug Administration. Food labelling: health claims, soy protein and coronary artery disease, Fed. Regist. 1999; 64:57699-57733.
Fitzpatrick L. A. Soy isoflavones: Hope or Hype? Maturitas 44 Suppl. 2003. s21-s29.
Saman et. al. Flavonoid and Coronary heart disease: dietary perspectives. In Flavonoids in Heart and Disease. Ed. Rice-Evans C. & Packer L 1997;475-476.
Fotsis T, Pepper M, Adlercreutz H. Genistein, a dietary-derived inhibitor of in vitro angiogenesis. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 1993; 90: 195-201.
Messina M, Barnes S. The role of Soy products in reducing the risk of Cancer. J. Natl. Cancer Inst. 1991; 83: 541-546.
Kolonel LN. Variability in diet and its relations to risk in ethnic and migrant groups. Basic Life Sci. 1988; 43: 129-135.
Lee HP, et. al. Dietary effects on breast cancer risk in Singapore. Lancet 1991; 337:1197-2000.
Yuan J-M, et. al. Diet and breast cancer in Shangai and Tianjin, China. Br J Cancer 1995; 71:1353-1358.
Stephens FO. Breast Cancer: aetiological factors and associations (a possible protective role of Phytoestrogens). Aust N Z Surg 1997; 67: 755-760.
Zheng W, Dai Q, Custer LJ. et. al. Urinary excretion of isoflavonoids and the risk of breast cancer. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 1999, 8: (1): 35-40.
Ingram D. et. al. Case control study of Phytoestrogens and breast cancer. Lancet 1997;350: 990-994.
Stemmermann GN, et. al. Breast Cancer in women of Japanese and Caucasian ancestry in Hawaii Cancer 1985; 56: 206-206.
Setchell KD, Phytoestrogens: the biochemistry, physiology and implications for Human health of Soy Isoflavones. Am J Clin Nutr 1998; 68 (suppl): 1333s-1346s.
Bingham SA. et. al. Eur. J. Cancer Prevention 1996; 5: 157.
Bingham S. Natural and anthropogenic environmental oestrogens: the scientific basis for risk assessment. Dietary Phyto-oestrogensn and Cancer. Pure & Appl. Chem 1998 ; 70 (9) : 1777-1783.
Guo et. al. Journal of Nutrition 2004 ; 134(1) : 179-182.
Draper C. et. al. Phytoestrogens reduce bone loss and bone reabsorption in oophorectomized rats. J. Nutr 1997 ;127:1795-1799.
Cheng S. et. al. Stimulation of Human osteoblasts differentiation and function by Ipriflavone and its metabolites. Calcif. Tissue Int 1994;55: 356-362.
Brandi ML. New treatment strategies: Ipriflavone, strontium, vitamin D metabolits and analogs. Am. J. Med. 95: 69s-74s.
Anderson JJ, Ambrose, W. W. & Garner, S. C. Orally dosed Genistein from Soy and prevention of cancellous bone loss in two ovariectomized rat models. J Nutr 1995; 125: 799 (abs).
Arjmandi et. al. Dietary Soybean protein prevents bone loss in an ovarectomized rat model of Osteoporosis. J Nutr 1996;126: 161.167.
Wangen KE, Duncan AM, Merz-Demlow BE, et. al. Effects of soy isoflavones on markers of bone turnover in pre-menopausal and post-menopausal women. J Clin Endocrinol Metab 2000; 85: 3043-3048.
Tobais JH. et. al. A Comparison of bone mineral density between Caucasian, Asian and Afro-Caribbean women. Clin. Sci. (Lond.) 1994; 87: 587-591.
Shultz TD. et. al. Effect of short term flax-seed comsumption on lignan and sex hormone metabolism in men. Nutr Res 1991; 11:1089-1100.
Morton MS, Chan PSF, Chang C, Blacklock N. Matos Ferreira A, Abranches Monteiro L. Correia R, Loyd S. & Griffiths K. (1997) Lignans and Isoflavonoids in Plasma and Prostatic fluid in men: Samples from Portugal, Hong Kong, and the UK. Prostate 32: 122-128.
Cassidy A. et. al. (1998) Hormonal effects of phytoestrogens in post menopausal women and middle aged men. Am J Clin Nutr 68: 1531s Abs.
Gooderhan M. et. al. A soy protein isolate rich in Genistein and Daidzein and its effects on plasma isoflavone concentrations, platelet aggregation blood lipids and fatty acid composition of plasma phospholipids in normal men. J Nutr 126: 2000-2006.
Sharpe RM. & Skakkebaek, N. E. Are estrogens involved in falling sperm count and disorders in the male reproductive tract? Lancet 1993;341:1392-1395.
Lund et. al. Biol Reprod 2004; 70 : 1188-1195.
Essex C. Phytoestrogens and Soy based formula. Br Med J 1996;333:507.
Irvine C. et. al. (1995). The Potential adverse effects of soy bean isoflavones in infant feeding. N.Z. Med. J. 108: 208-209.
Setchell KDR, Nechemias-Zimmer L, Cai J, Heubi JE. Exposure of infants to phytoestrogens from soy infant formulas. Lancet 1997;350: 23-27.
Cruz et. al. Effects of infant nutrition on cholesterol synthesis rates. Pediatr Res 35: 135-140.
Martin et. al. Phytoestrogen interaction with estrogen receptors in human câncer cells. Endocrinology 1978; 103 (5) 1860-1867.
Principles of Herbal Pharmacology 54-56.
Campos MG, Matos MP, Cepeda M, Farinha A. Comparative analysis of isoflavones of Glycine spp in tablets used for natural Post-Menopausal Hormone-Replacement Therapy. Bull. Groupe Polyphenols 2002;21(vol. II): 325-326
Additional Files
Published
How to Cite
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Copyright (c) 2023 Medicina Interna
Open Access
