Plasma isoflavone concentration is associated with decreased risk of type 2 diabetes in Korean women but not men: results from the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study

Abstract

Aims/hypothesis To examine the association between soybean products and risk of type 2 diabetes, we measured four isoflavone biological markers-genistein, daidzein, glycitein and equol-in a nested case-control study. Methods The study population was composed of 693 cases (316 women and 377 men) and 698 matched controls (317 women and 381 men) within the Korean Genome and Epidemiology Study. The concentrations of isoflavone biomarkers were measured using HPLC-MS/MS on plasma samples that were collected at baseline. A stratified analysis was undertaken to examine the association between plasma isoflavone concentrations and risk of type 2 diabetes according to sex and equol production. Logistic regression models were used to compute ORs and 95% CIs adjusted for confounders. ResultsIn women, compared with the lowest quartile of plasma concentration of genistein, the highest quartile exhibited a significantly decreased risk of diabetes (OR 0.58, 95% CI 0.35, 0.95). When stratified by equol-producing status in women, the OR for diabetes in the highest vs the lowest quartile of genistein concentration was 0.31 (95% CI 0.16, 0.60) in equol producers, but genistein concentration was not associated with risk of diabetes in equol non-producers (p for interaction=0.013). In men, isoflavone concentrations were not associated with risk of diabetes, regardless of equolproducing status. Conclusions/interpretation High plasma concentrations of genistein were associated with a decreased risk of type 2 diabetes in women. This inverse association was prominent in equol-producing participants. These results suggest a beneficial effect of a high intake of soybean products on risk of type 2 diabetes in women.

Environmental contributions to gastrointestinal and liver cancer in the Asia–Pacific region

“…The plasma concentration of isoflavone in Asian populations is approximately 40 times more than the concentration in European populations. 46,48 It has been hypothesized that the clinical efficacy of isoflavone might be dependent on equol, which is transformed by the gut microbiome during digestion. Whereas the equol-producing rate of Western populations is 30-40%, that of Asian populations is as high as 80%.…”

Soy and Breast Cancer: Focus on Angiogenesis

“…Among them, genistein and other phytoestrogens attract great interest, as they exhibit a plethora of biological actions, including breast and prostate cancer chemopreventive activity [17,18,19,20,21]. …”

Current Progress in Production of Flavonoids using Systems and Synthetic Biology Platforms

“…Flavonoids has been increasingly used in skin care and cosmetic products as an ultraviolet radiation protectant (Jimtaisong 2015; Peng et al 2015;Saewan & Jimtaisong 2015). Ko et al (2015) had found plasma that contain geneistein (isoflavone) correlated to decrease risk of type 2 diabetes in women. There is an association of the anti-diabetic effect of isoflavone towards their physiological changes.…”