Health benefits of isoflavones in functional foods? Proteomic and metabonomic advances

Abstract

There is currently considerable interest in the potential health benefits of isoflavones in functional foods and in the future prospects for the development of new products of benefit to the consumer. The potential health benefits of isoflavones may include protection against age-related diseases including cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, hormone-dependent cancer and loss of cognitive function. The mechanisms involved may include weak oestrogenic action and antioxidant activity. Our proteomic investigations of changes in the human serum profile in response to the consumption of isoflavones in soya functional foods suggest potentially beneficial modulation of the levels of a number of serum proteins, including increased apolipoprotein E (involved in lipid metabolism) and caeruloplasmin (antioxidant and copper regulatory properties) levels and decreased alpha-1-acid glycoprotein (involved in immunomodulation) levels that may contribute to vascular protection. Furthermore, preliminary metabonomic data indicates an alteration in the urinary metabolite profile after isoflavone consumption, which may be of significance.

Red clover extract exerts antidiabetic and hypolipidemic effects in db/db mice

“…Plant extracts containing isoflavones have been the focus of numerous studies during the last decade due to their protective effects against menopausal symptoms and a variety of disorders, including cardiovascular disease, cancer, hyper-lipidemia and osteoporosis (1,2). In addition, the potential of dietary isoflavones in the prevention of diabetes mellitus has attracted increased attention among the public and in the medical community in recent years (2,3).…”

Development and validation of a quantitative assay for the analysis of tamoxifen with its four main metabolites and the flavonoids daidzein, genistein and glycitein in human serum using liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry

“…Phytoestrogens comprise a variety of structurally diverse chemicals, with flavonoids as their largest group [14]. Genistein, daidzein and glycitein are the main flavonoids found in soybean (extracts) [16]. Women with a personal history of breast cancer are six times as likely to use dietary soy for the relief of menopause symptoms as are other women, and women who use it generally find it beneficial [15,17].…”

“…Women with a personal history of breast cancer are six times as likely to use dietary soy for the relief of menopause symptoms as are other women, and women who use it generally find it beneficial [15,17]. Therefore, there is also considerable interest in the potential health effects of flavonoids in functional food [14][15][16][17][18][19]. The relationship between phytoestrogens and breast cancer, however, is very complex.…”

Genomics-Based Identification of Molecular Mechanisms behind the Cancer Preventive Action of Phytochemicals: Potential and Challenges

“…For instance, Solanky et al [73,74] described soy-induced alterations in protein, fat and carbohydrate metabolism based on plasma metabolites related to the dietary intervention, whereas Wong et al [75] indicate metabolomic alterations in the urinary metabolite profile after isoflavone consumption. One of the biggest advantages of this technique is that it can be applied to biological samples like urine, serum or plasma, making it very suitable for biomonitoring purposes.…”