Urinary excretion of lignans and isoflavonoid phytoestrogens in Japanese men and women consuming a traditional Japanese diet

• Published in: The American journal of clinical nutrition Vol. 54; no. 6; pp. 1093 - 1100
• Main Authors: Adlercreutz, H, Honjo, H, Higashi, A, Fotsis, T, Hämäläinen, E, Hasegawa, T, Okada, H
• Format: Journal Article Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Published: Bethesda, MD Elsevier Inc 01.12.1991; American Society for Clinical Nutrition
• Subjects: absorcion de substancias nutritivas; absorption de substances nutritives; Adult; adulte; adultos; adults; Aged; analysis; Biological and medical sciences; chemistry; children; daidzcin; Diet; dieta; energia; energie; energy; energy intake; enfant; enterodiol; enterolactonc; equol; estrogenos; Estrogens; Estrogens - urine; Estrogens, Non-Steroidal; Female; flavonoide; flavonoides; flavonoids; gas chromatography; genistein; Human physiology applied to population studies and life conditions. Human ecophysiology; Humans; Isoflavones; Isoflavones - urine; isoflavonoids; Japan; Japanese; japon; ligand; ligandos; ligands; Lignans; Lignin; Lignin - analysis; Male; mass spectrometry; Medical sciences; Middle Aged; ninos; nutrient intake; nutrient uptake; Nutritional survey. Food supply and nutritional requirement; O-desmethylangolensin; oestrogene; oestrogens; orina; Phytoestrogens; plant estrogens; Plant Preparations; productos de la soja; produit a base de soja; regime alimentaire; rural areas; sex-hormone-binding globulin; soybean; soybean products; urine; Urine - chemistry; zonas rurales; zone rurale; Asia; Japan; soybean; equol; urine; enterolactonc; O-desmethylangolensin; enterodiol; Japanese; gas chromatography; lignans; genistein; sex-hormone-binding globulin; mass spectrometry; diet; isoflavonoids; daidzcin; Human; Urine; Biochemical analysis; Mortality; Sex; Lipids; Male; Soybean; Malignant tumor; Epidemiology; Prostatic disease; Ethnic group; Mammary gland diseases; Diet; Female; Nutritional status; Public health
• ISSN: 0002-9165; 1938-3207
• DOI: 10.1093/ajcn/54.6.1093

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 chro-matographic-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.