Abstract
There has been substantial interest in phytoestrogens, because of their potential effect in reducing cancer and heart disease risk. Measuring concentrations of phytoestrogens in urine is an alternative method for conducting epidemiological studies. Our objective was to evaluate the urinary excretion of phytoestrogens as biomarkers for dietary phytoestrogen intake in Mexican women. Participants were 100 healthy women from 25 to 80 years of age. A food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) and a 24 h recall were used to estimate habitual and recent intakes of isoflavones, lignans, flavonols, coumestrol, resveratrol, naringenin, and luteolin. Urinary concentrations were measured by liquid chromatography (HPLC) coupled to mass spectrometry (MS) using the electrospray ionization interface (ESI) and diode array detector (DAD) (HPLC-DAD-ESI-MS). Spearman correlation coefficients were used to evaluate associations between dietary intake and urine concentrations. The habitual consumption (FFQ) of total phytoestrogens was 37.56 mg/day. In urine, the higher compounds were naringenin (60.1 µg/L) and enterolactone (41.7 µg/L). Recent intakes (24 h recall) of isoflavones (r = 0.460, p < 0.001), lignans (r = 0.550, p < 0.0001), flavonoids (r = 0.240, p < 0.05), and total phytoestrogens (r = 0.410, p < 0.001) were correlated to their urinary levels. Total phytoestrogen intakes estimated by the FFQ showed higher correlations to urinary levels (r = 0.730, p < 0.0001). Urinary phytoestrogens may be useful as biomarkers of phytoestrogen intake, and as a tool for evaluating the relationship of intake and disease risk in Mexican women.
Highlights
Experimental evidence suggests that phytoestrogen intake may modulate the risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease [1,2,3,4]
This study has shown that the urinary excretion of total phytoestrogens is significantly correlated with habitual dietary intake
Recent intakes of individual, group, and total phytoestrogens were related to their urinary levels
Summary
Experimental evidence suggests that phytoestrogen intake may modulate the risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease [1,2,3,4]. Phytoestrogens are plant-derived, naturally occurring non-steroidal polycyclic phenols that may have weak estrogenic effects when they are ingested and metabolized [5]. Major classes of phytoestrogens are isoflavones, lignans, and coumestans. Diet is the main source of phytoestrogens in humans. Isoflavones are present in berries, soybeans, and other legumes [6]. Primarily matairesinol and secoisolariciresinol, are found widely in many fiber rich foods such as fruits, vegetables, cereals, and flaxseeds [7]. The main dietary sources of coumestans are alfalfa sprouts, followed by pinto and pea beans [8]. Resveratrol, from the stilbene group, is found in wine, grape skins, and peanuts [9]
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