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By Glenn M. Moriyama
Recently health and nutrition news have been mentioning isoflavones more and more, particularly regarding their possible health properties. These reports naturally prompt people to find out what they can about isoflavones. Some initial research soon uncovers terms and concepts that can be confusing at first. So here's some basic information about isoflavones in Q&A format to help you in your quest for knowledge that can impact your health.
To begin to understand isoflavones, we need to go back to the big picture, that is, a general understanding of how the composition of plants impacts our health in positive and beneficial ways. It's common knowledge that many plants are effective in the cure and prevention of disease. Scientists have learned that chemical compounds in plants (neither vitamins or minerals)—called phytochemicals—are largely responsible for these beneficial effects. One type of phytochemicals is phytoestrogens, which give off estrogen-like effects when ingested in our body. There are many types of phytoestrogens but scientists have identified one group of phytoestrogens as being particularly beneficial: isoflavones.
Studies strongly suggest that isoflavones contribute to vital immune function, strong heart function, strong bones, and support for female systems at every phase and change in women's lives. Another group of phytoestrogens found in soy foods, lignans is also believed to have some anti-cancer effects.*
Isoflavones are found in chick peas and legumes. The legume, soy, has been found to have a very concentrated amount of isoflavones. Three of the more well known isoflavones are found in soy: daidzein, which has been found to enhance bone formation; genistein, which supports healthy breast and prostate tissue; and glycitein.*
These soy foods provide excellent amounts of isoflavones, ranging from 30 to 50 milligrams per serving.
Second generation soy products-such as soy hot dogs, soy burgers, soy cheeses, soy yogurts and soy isolate powder-contain lower amounts of isoflavones, mainly due to the considerable amounts of other non-soy ingredients and processing.
No. Because isoflavones are fairly stable, they are not affected by normal home or institutional cooking methods.
Anne Patterson, R.D., soy nutrition specialist and president of Nutrition Advantage, a food and nutrition consulting company, explains, "Optimal isoflavone intake to prevent or treat specific diseases is not known. At this time, overall health benefits of isoflavones as well as other phytochemicals, are best met by eating a varied diet from all food groups, built upon a foundation of one serving of soy food with plenty of whole grains, fruits, vegetables and other legumes each day."
The soy foods listed earlier as having optimal amounts of isoflavones can be found at most reputable health food stores and markets. Vitamark International's SuperSOY™ products (textured soy protein) come in a variety of packaging—such as meat and chicken alternatives in ground and strips form—to provide flexibility and creativity to your soy dishes. For pricing and order information, click Soy Catalog.
You can find more detailed information on isoflavones on these websites:
Glenn Moriyama is a freelance writer and web content developer, doing business as PageBuilder. To contact Glenn, send an email.
A Statement for Healthcare Professionals From the Nutrition Committee of the American Heart Association (AHA)by John W. Erdman, Jr, PhD, for the AHA Nutrition Committee:
"…it is prudent to recommend soy protein foods to promote heart health."
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