Urinary excretion of lignans and isoflavonoid phytoestrogens in Japanese men and women consuming a traditional Japanese diet.
Epidemiologic studies revealed low mortality in hormone-dependent cancer in Japanese women and men consuming a traditional diet. We previously found that certain diphenolic food components, lignans and isoflavonoids, which are converted to biologically active hormone-like substances by intestinal microflora, may be cancer-protective agents. Therefore, we studied urinary excretion of these compounds (enterolactone, enterodiol, daidzein, equol, and O-desmethylangolensin) in 10 women and 9 men in a rural village south of Kyoto, Japan. The subjects consumed a typical low-fat diet with much rice and soy products, fish, and vegetables. An isotope-dilution gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric method was used for the assays. The urinary excretion of lignans was low but that of the isoflavonoids was very high. The excretion of isoflavonoids correlated with soybean-product intake. The low mortality in breast and prostate cancer of Japanese women and men, respectively, may be due to the high intake of soybean products.
Adlercreutz
H
H
Department of Clinical Chemistry, University of Helsinki, Meilahti Hospital, Finland.
Honjo
H
H
Higashi
A
A
Fotsis
T
T
Hämäläinen
E
E
Hasegawa
T
T
Okada
H
H
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D004032:Diet; D004967:Estrogens / Q000652:urine*; D004968:Estrogens, Non-Steroidal; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007529:Isoflavones / Q000652:urine*; D007564:Japan; D017705:Lignans; D008031:Lignin / Q000032:analysis*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D048789:Phytoestrogens; D028321:Plant Preparations; D014556:Urine / Q000737:chemistry
D004967:Estrogens; D004968:Estrogens, Non-Steroidal; D007529:Isoflavones; D017705:Lignans; D048789:Phytoestrogens; D028321:Plant Preparations; D008031:Lignin