The aims of this evidence report are to summarize the current evidence on the health effects of soy and its isoflavones on the following: cardiovascular diseases, menopausal symptoms, endocrine function, cancer, bone health, reproductive health, kidney diseases, cognitive function, and glucose metabolism. In addition, safety issues and drug interactions of using soy and its isoflavones, as repo...

Dietary phytoestrogens may prevent certain human diseases, but endocrine activity has been reported in animal studies. Sprague-Dawley rats were exposed perinatally to a 1-, 10- or 100-fold "high human dietary intake" mixture of 12 phytoestrogens consisting of mainly the lignan secoisolarici resinol and the isoflavones genistein and daidzein. This mixture induced persistent adverse effects, as a...

Phytoestrogens, plant food components with estrogen-like biological properties, are hypothesized to contribute to the 5-fold lower breast cancer incidence in Asian compared with Western countries (1). Isoflavones comprise the phytoestrogens most abundant in soy, the traditional staple food in Asia, and a recent meta-analysis concluded that there was a slight reduction in premenopausal breast ca...

A growing body of evidence has demonstrated that soy isoflavone consumption may protect against the development of various chronic diseases. This protection could be linked to isoflavone-induced alterations in immune function. However, recent in vitro and animal studies suggest that soy isoflavones may either enhance or suppress immunocompetence, depending upon the isoflavone concentration, tar...

Epidemiologic associations suggest that populations consuming substantial amounts of dietary soy exhibit a lower risk of prostate cancer. A 20-week randomized, phase II, crossover trial was conducted in 32 men with asymptomatic prostate cancer. The crossover involved 8 weeks each of soy bread (SB) and soy-almond bread (SAB). The primary objective was to investigate isoflavone bioavailability an...

Objectives: If and to what extent soy protein, soy isoflavones, and their metabolites, including S(Y)-equol, have beneficial effects on women_s health is currently unclear. The North American Menopause Society (NAMS)/Utian Translational Science Symposium on Soy and Soy Isoflavones convened October 9-10, 2010, to clarify basic and clinical research findings as they relate to the risk and benefit...

Dietary phytoestrogens are suggested to reduce the risk of prostate and colorectal cancer, but the results of epidemiologic studies have not yielded consistent support for this proposed effect, possibly due to inadequate databases of phytoestrogen levels in foods. Biomarkers of phytoestrogen intakes may provide a clearer insight into the relationship between phytoestrogen exposure and the risk ...

BACKGROUND The age-adjusted incidence rate of prostate cancer (PCa) has been reported to be lower among Asians than Western populations. A traditional Japanese meal, high in soybean products or isoflavones, may be associated with a decreased risk of PCa. Equol, which is converted from daidzein by human intestinal flora, is biologically more active than any other isoflavone aglycone. MATERIALS...

PURPOSE Efficacy and comparative characteristics of fine powdered whole soybean curd. METHODS Ground dried soybean to a fine powder (700 mesh) containing bean components in its entirety, and then produced whole soybean curd. Analysed its nutritive components, bioactive substances, antioxidant activities and texture compared with pressed soybean curd. RESULTS Compared with pressed soybean cu...