ISOFLAVONES

(SOY)
Inez Felia Yusuf 131620180003

Pengampu :
dr.Gaga Sp.GK,. M.Gizi
 INTRODUCTION
• Isoflavones are members of the large flavonoid family of plant compounds which are, in turn,
members of the larger group of plant constituents known as polyphenols
• Isoflavones are a class of phytoestrogens — plant-derived compounds with estrogenic activity
in mammals. Isoflavones are produced almost exclusively by the members of
the Fabaceae (i.e., Leguminosae, or bean) family.

Soybeans and soy products are the richest sources of isoflavones in the human diet.
• Regular intake of this food is thought to be partially responsible for the lower rates of heart
disease, stroke, and cancer observed in Eastern populations.

• Although isoflavones and closely related phytoestrogens are sold as dietary supplements,
there is little scientific evidence for either the safety of long-term supplementation or of health
benefits from these compounds
 SOYABEAN / SOY
• The soybean (Glycine max),
or soya bean is a species
of legume native to East
Asia, widely grown for its edible
bean which has numerous uses.

• Today, soy is widely consumed, not

only as a source of plant-based
protein but also as an ingredient in
many processed foods.
 NUTRITION FACT

100 grams of raw soybeans

supply :
• 446 calories
• 9% water,
• 30% carbohydrates,
• 20% total fat and
• 36% protein

https://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/4845?fgcd=&manu=&lfacet=&format=Full&count=&max=35&offset=&sort=&qlookup=16108
 SOY PROTEIN
• Most soy protein is a relatively heat-stable storage protein.
• Soy is a good source of protein for vegetarians and vegans or for people who want to reduce
the amount of meat they eat, according to FDA :

Soy protein products can be good substitutes for animal

products because, unlike some other beans, soy offers a
'complete' protein profile. ... Soy protein products can
replace animal-based foods—which also have complete
proteins but tend to contain more fat, especially saturated fat—
without requiring major adjustments elsewhere in the diet.
 ISOFLAVONES
• Soy's content of isoflavones are as much as 3 mg/g dry weight.
• The principal isoflavones in soy are genistein, daidzein  phytoestrogen compounds

Genistein Daidzein

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4924202/
 MEAN LEVELS OF
ISOFLAVONES IN
SELECTED FOOD ITEMS
↓
EXPRESSED IN MG/100 G 5
OF EDIBLE PORTION
4
2
3
1

https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Mean-levels-of-isoflavones-in-
selected-food-items-expressed-in-mg-100-g-of-edible_tbl2_10854741
RDA OF ISOFLAVONES
 MECHANISM OF ACTION
• There are many proposed mechanisms for the therapeutic effect of isoflavones
• The mechanisms include:
• binding to estrogen receptors
• inhibition of production of reactive oxygen species
• induction of DNA strand breakage resulting in apoptosis or cell death
• inhibition of angiogenesis
• inhibition of thrombin formation and platelet activation
• And increased LDL receptor activity
HEALTH EFFECTS OF SOY
 1
PHYTOESTROGEN

Bioidentical Hormones
• exert pseudohormonal activity (weaker form of estrogen) by binding to estrogen receptors (ER) in mammals

• Since high blood levels of estrogen are an established risk factor for breast cancer, weaker forms of estrogen may
provide protection against this disease

• Isoflavones block the binding of more potent estrogens, potentially playing a role in preventing hormone-related
cancer like breast cancer, cervical cancer, and the male prostate or testicular cancer

• Interestingly, the incidence of breast and prostate cancers is lower among Asians in comparison to people in the
Western world, and this could be related to the significantly different consumption of isoflavones in Asian diets (15–
47 mg/day) compared with Western diets (0.15–1.7 mg/day)

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4924202/
 DOWNFALL..
• Of the multitude of studies conducted outside the US on women, most find that there are decreases in
breast cancer risk with consumption of soy products in premenopausal, but not postmenopausal
women (little epidemiologic support).

• Recently, increasing reports about the inhibition of inflammation by isoflavone are available.
Meanwhile, some studies have raised concerns that isoflavones induced negative effects like
carcinogenesis, thymus atrophy, and immune system abnormalities

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4924202/
ANTI-OBESITY 2
• Soy significantly decreased waist circumference
in older ages (MD: 20.36 cm; 95% CI: 20.71,
20.01 cm; P = 0.04), in women

• Isoflavone studies, conducted only in women,

showed that isoflavones may reduce body mass
index especially in dosages <100 mg/d within 2-6
months

DOWNFALL:
• soy and isoflavones may have different
impacts on weight status

• Only performed in women patients  need

further test in both sexes
 3
BONE HEALTH

• Speculation about the potential benefits of isoflavones was in part fueled by the similarity in
chemical structure between the soybean isoflavones and the synthetic isoflavone, 7-
isopropoxyisoflavone, which was shown to increase bone mass in postmenopausal women

• Although the effects of soy and isoflavones on bone health constitutes and exciting area of
research, no firm conclusions can be reached at this time
 4
CARDIOVASCULAR HEALTH
Dietary soy protein has been shown to have several
beneficial effects on cardiovascular health

• Best-documented effect is on plasma lipid and

lipoprotein concentrations, with reductions of ~10% in
LDL cholesterol and small increases in HDL cholesterol

• Dietary soy protein improves flow-mediated arterial

dilation

• Soy isoflavone extracts improves systemic arterial

compliance, an indicator of atherosclerosis extent

N Engl J Med 1999; 340:1801-1811 DOI: 10.1056/NEJM199906103402306

• These beneficial effects of soy protein on plasma lipoproteins culminated recently in the U.S.
Food and Drug Administration’s approval of the health claim that:

“25 g of soy protein a day, as part of a diet low in saturated fat

and cholesterol, may reduce the risk of heart disease”

• Current research is focusing primarily on identifying what components of soy protein provide
this atherosclerosis protection and improvements in systemic arterial compliance

http://www.nutrition.org/cgi/content/full/132/3/566S
 5
ANTIOXIDATIVES ACTIVITIES

Isoflavones are scavengers of a wide range of reactive oxygen, nitrogen, and chlorine species

genistein and daidzein dose-dependently inhibit peroxynitrite-mediated low-density lipoprotein (LDL) oxidation

These results suggest that isoflavones scavenge increased free radicals produced by activated macrophages
during inflammation  preventing NO reactions with free radicals and the subsequent production of
peroxynitrite that can directly oxidize LDL and result in irreversible damage to the cell membrane
 Lately, soy isoflavone has been shown to decrease the concentrations of ROS and
malondialdehyde  mRNA expressions and activities of superoxide dismutase and glutathione
peroxidase in porcine mammary gland cells and human umbilical vein endothelial cells challenged
by hydrogen peroxide

Indicate that isoflavones are modulators of enzymatic antioxidants (besides ROS scavengers)

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4924202/
 CONCLUSION
• Dietary soy intake seems to be promising in the areas of
cardiovascular, cancer (especially breast & prostate), bone health, even
as anti-obesity

• However, extensive evaluations are still warranted to explore the

exact mechanisms and answer the safety and efficacy question
 REFERENCES
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4924202/
• https://lpi.oregonstate.edu/mic/dietary-factors/phytochemicals/soy-isoflavones
• https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Mean-levels-of-isoflavones-in-selected-food-items-expressed-in-mg-100-g-of-edible_tbl2_10854741
• https://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/4845?fgcd=&manu=&lfacet=&format=Full&count=&max=35&offset=&sort=&qlookup=16108
• Akhlaghi, M., Zare, M., & Nouripour, F. (2017). Effect of Soy and Soy Isoflavones on Obesity-Related Anthropometric Measures: A Systematic
Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Clinical Trials. Advances in Nutrition: An International Review Journal, 8(5), 705–
717.doi:10.3945/an.117.015370
• Paradkar P.N., Blum P.S., Berhow M.A., Baumann H., Kuo S.M. Dietary isoflavones suppress endotoxin-induced inflammatory reaction in liver
and intestine. Cancer Lett. 2004;215:21–28. doi: 10.1016/j.canlet.2004.05.019.
• Ma X., Jiang Z., Zhang J., Hu Y., Gao K., Wang L., Yang X. Isoflavone ameliorates H2O2 induced injury by activating the antioxidant system of
sow mammary gland cell. Nat. Sci. 2015;7:571.
• Lai H.H., Yen G.C. Inhibitory effect of isoflavones on peroxynitrite-mediated low-density lipoprotein oxidation. Biosci. Biotechnol.
Biochem. 2002;66:22–28. doi: 10.1271/bbb.66.22.