title: Assessment of the estrogenicity of the diet of a healthy female Spanish population based on its isoflavone content.
abstract: Phytoestrogens are natural components of plants consumed by humans. The hormonal activity of these substances has long been known. Various in vitro tests have demonstrated the agonistic or antagonistic estrogenic activity of some phytoestrogens. The objective of this study was to estimate the supply of isoflavones in the diet of a healthy adult female population and to assess its estrogenic effect. The diet was assessed by questionnaire and the estrogenicity of the estimated isoflavone content was tested by E-screen, finding a mean total estrogenic capacity of 0.129 × 10⁻¹⁰ eq.E₂ (12.9 pmol day⁻¹), corresponding to a daily isoflavone intake of 265.8 μg day⁻¹. This study offers a preliminary insight into the phytoestrogen content of the diet of a healthy active population of Spanish women. The effects of this additional hormonal burden are highly controversial, and this approach to estimating dietary phytoestrogen intake of specific populations may help to elucidate its implications for human health.
authors.affiliation: Research Group on Nutrition, Diet and Risk Assessment-AGR255, Department of Nutrition and Food Science, University of Granada, Granada, Spain.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hernandez-Elizondo
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Monteagudo
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Murcia
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Olea
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Olea-Serrano
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mariscal-Arcas
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D004032:Diet; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007529:Isoflavones / Q000032:analysis*; D061986:MCF-7 Cells; D008875:Middle Aged; D048789:Phytoestrogens / Q000032:analysis*; D012016:Reference Values; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D007529:Isoflavones; D048789:Phytoestrogens