Soybeans have long been recognized as an excellent source of high-quality protein. The soybean also contains a wide variety of chemical compounds that have potent bioactivity. Among these compounds are the isoflavones and the saponins. The goal of our research was to quantify isoflavone and saponin concentrations in elite soybean cultivars grown in different environments and to identify a natur...

Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women worldwide, and many women with breast cancer live more than 5 years after their diagnosis. Breast cancer patients and survivors have a greater interest in taking soy foods and isoflavone supplements. However, the effect of isoflavones on breast cancer remains controversial. Thus, it is critical to determine if and when isoflavones are benefici...

iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my gratitude to my advisor, Dr. Young-Cheul Kim, and the opportunity he provided me to complete this project. He has generously offered his hand and his heart in support and guidance for me as a developing young researcher. I would like to thank committee member, Dr. Richard Wood, for his encouraging words, thoughtful comments and suggestions, inspir...

If soy isoflavones are to be effective in preventing or treating a range of diseases, they must be bioavailable, and thus understanding factors which may alter their bioavailability needs to be elucidated. However, to date there is little information on whether the pharmacokinetic profile following ingestion of a defined dose is influenced by the food matrix in which the isoflavone is given or ...

Phytoestrogens represent a family of plant compounds such as isoflavones, flavones and lignans. A wide range of commonly consumed foods contains appreciable amounts of different phytoestrogens such as isoflavones and lignans. Soy and its products are particularly good sources of isoflavones and lignans. The evidence reviewed here represents the beneficial effects of most potential and promising...

OBJECTIVE Prehypertensive and hypertensive individuals are at increased risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (CVD), in part because hypertension contributes to endothelial dysfunction and increased cell adhesion molecule expression. Soy protein and isoflavones may favorably alter CVD risk factors, and hence the aim of this study was to determine whether intake of cow's milk compared w...

CONTEXT Soy foods are rich in isoflavones, a major group of phytoestrogens that have been hypothesized to reduce the risk of breast cancer. However, the estrogen-like effect of isoflavones and the potential interaction between isoflavones and tamoxifen have led to concern about soy food consumption among breast cancer patients. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the association of soy food intake after di...

Epidemiologic associations suggest that populations consuming substantial amounts of dietary soy exhibit a lower risk of prostate cancer. A 20-week randomized, phase II, crossover trial was conducted in 32 men with asymptomatic prostate cancer. The crossover involved 8 weeks each of soy bread (SB) and soy-almond bread (SAB). The primary objective was to investigate isoflavone bioavailability an...

BACKGROUND Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of worldwide morbidity and mortality. Several studies have demonstrated that specific probiotics affect the host's metabolism and may influence the cardiovascular disease risk. OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of an isoflavone-supplemented soy product fermented with Enterococcus faecium CRL 183 and Lactoba...

In this study, the chitosan-induced coacervation of soy protein-isoflavone complexes in soymilk was investigated. Most of the soymilk proteins, including β-conglycinin (7S), glycinin (11S), and isoflavones, were found to coacervate into the soymilk pellet fraction (SPF) following the addition of 0.5% chitosan. The total protein in the soymilk supernatant fraction (SSF) decreased from 18.1 ± 0.3...