Bioavailability and health benefits of major isoflavone aglycones and their metabolites

Abstract

Isoflavones are stored in various plants and widely present in different kinds of food in variable amounts. However, isoflavone aglycones are found less frequently in natural products, a greater amount of isoflavone aglycones are found in fermented food. Isoflavone aglycones are more lipid soluble and thus easily able to go through the intestinal villi, resulting in increased bioavailability and greater bioactivity than glucosides. Recently, isoflavone aglycone and its metabolites were applied in different diseases in numerous studies. Thus, this review organizes and collects newly-found reports of aglycones and their metabolites’ bioavailability toward metabolism in human body, and the application in the prevention and treatment of various disorders such as cancers, obesity, diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, cardiovascular diseases, neurological disorders and osteoporosis from the past decade providing the latest findings and evidence in different pathways.