Intakes and sources of soya foods and isoflavones in a UK population cohort study (EPIC-Norfolk)

• Published in: European journal of clinical nutrition 2007-02, Vol.61 (2), p.248-254
• Main Authors: Mulligan, A.A, Welch, A.A, McTaggart, A.A, Bhaniani, A, Bingham, S.A
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Analysis; anthropometric measurements; Biological and medical sciences; Bread; Clinical Nutrition; Cohort analysis; Cohort Studies; Confidence Intervals; Daidzein; Databases, Factual; Diaries; Diet; Diet Records; Diet Surveys; energy intake; epidemiological studies; Epidemiology; Estrogen; European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition; Female; Food; Food Analysis; Food composition; Food consumption; Food groups; food intake; Food sources; Genistein; Genistein - administration & dosage; Genistein - analysis; Humans; Internal Medicine; Isoflavones; Isoflavones - administration & dosage; Isoflavones - analysis; Lignans; Male; Medical sciences; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; men; Metabolic Diseases; Middle Aged; neoplasms; nutrient intake; Nutrition; Odds Ratio; original-article; Phytochemicals; Phytoestrogens; Phytoestrogens - administration & dosage; Phytoestrogens - analysis; plant estrogens; Population studies; Public Health; Soy Foods - analysis; Soy products; soybean products; United Kingdom; Vegetables; Women
• ISSN: 0954-3007; 1476-5640
• DOI: 10.1038/sj.ejcn.1602509

Objective: To estimate the average intake and range of soya foods and isoflavones in a population-based cohort and to provide data on isoflavone consumption by food group. Subjects: Men and women (11 843) from the Norfolk arm of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC). Methods: Dietary daidzein and genistein intakes were obtained from 7-day food diaries, completed by participants between 1993 and 1998 and calculated from an in-house food composition database. Energy and anthropometric measurements were also carried out. Results: Average daily isoflavone intakes for both men and women were less than 1 mg (interquartile range (IQR) men: 0.39-0.82 mg; women: 0.30-0.64 mg). However, in soya-consumers, average daily intakes were higher: 8.6 mg in women (IQR: 2.28-10.72 mg) and 7.5 mg in men (IQR: 2.22-9.17 mg). In both men and women, bread and bread rolls made the highest contribution to isoflavone intake - 62.5 and 53.0%, respectively. In soya-consuming men and women, vegetable dishes and milks were the main contributors - 25.0 and 38.5% in men and 38.5% and 26.0% in women, respectively. Conclusions: Isoflavone intake is low in the UK but may be an underestimate due to soya added to commercial products. Future analyses of the isoflavone and lignan content of basic ingredient foods and commercial items commonly consumed in the UK diet will enable more accurate estimates of phytoestrogen intake to be made. The ability to estimate isoflavone intake in Western populations more accurately will enable investigations to be conducted into the suggested beneficial effects of phytoestrogens on health.