Consumption Of Soybean Products Research Articles

Association between soya food consumption and muscle strength in Chinese adolescents: evidence from a cross-sectional study.

There is a strong association between soya food consumption and health, but there are few studies on the association with muscular strength, especially in adolescent groups. This study was conducted to understand the status of soya food consumption and its association with muscular strength among secondary school students in southern China. A stratified whole-group sampling method was used to investigate and test the status of soya food consumption and muscular strength of 13220 secondary school students in southern China. Linear regression analysis and logistic regression analysis were used to analyse the correlations between soya food consumption and muscular strength. Logistic regression analysis showed that compared with secondary school students with soya food consumption ≥ 3 times/week, male students with soya food consumption ≤ 1 time/week (OR = 1·896, 95 % CI: 1·597,2·251) and female students with soya food consumption ≤ 1 time/week (OR = 2·877, 95 % CI: 2·399, 3·449) students had a higher risk of developing lower grip strength (P < 0·001). The frequency of soya food consumption among secondary school students in southern China was 49·00 %, 28·77 % and 22·23 % for ≥ 3 times/week, 2-3 times/week and ≤ 1 time/week, respectively. There is a positive association between soya food consumption and muscle strength among secondary school students in southern China. In the future, increasing the consumption of soybean products can be considered for the improvement of muscle strength.

Soybean product consumption decreases risk of gastric cancer: results from the Health Examinees Study.

Epidemiological findings on the association between soybean product consumption and gastric cancer risk remain inconsistent. We evaluated the relationship between soybean product consumption and the risk of gastric cancer in a prospective cohort study in Korea. This prospective cohort study included a total of 139,267 participants aged 40-69years from the Health Examinees-Gem (HEXA-G) study between 2004 and 2013. Information on cancer diagnosis was retrieved from the Korea Central Cancer Registry until 31 December 2018. Multivariate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% of confidence intervals (CIs) for the risk of gastric cancer according to the consumption of soybean products were estimated using Cox proportional hazards models. A total of 767 incident cases of gastric cancer occurred over an average follow-up period of 9.21years. We found that men who consumed two servings per week had 37% lower risk of gastric cancer compared with who consume those who almost never consumed (HR for tofu consumption of more than two servings/week vs. almost never consumed was 0.63 (95% CI 0.45, 0.89); p for trend = 0.04). Among men with a BMI of less than 25kg/m2, increased consumption of soybean paste (p for trend = 0.02) and tofu (HR 0.51 (95% CI 0.32, 0.82 for more than two servings/week vs. almost never consumed); p for trend = 0.01) was associated with decreased risk of gastric cancer. Our results suggest that a high consumption of soybean products has a protective effect against gastric cancer.

Avaliação nutricional e aceitação pelo consumidor de extrato de soja de cultivares especiais e convencionais

Abstract The soymilk is a ready-to-eat, nutritious and naturally cholesterol-free product. Several soybean specialty cultivars were developed in Brazil in order to increase the human consumption of soybean products. The aim of this work was to evaluate the nutritional composition and consumer acceptance of soymilk from three soybean cultivars with special features such as high-protein and isoflavone contents, mild flavor and lipoxygenase-free compared to three conventional ones. The soymilk was obtained after blanching with a bicarbonate solution, grinding, centrifugation and pasteurization. The physicochemical and nutritional evaluation data were analyzed using Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and Tukey’s test to check differences among means, and the consumer data through cluster analysis and internal preference mapping. The lipoxygenases were inactivated after thermal processing. There were significant differences among soybean cultivars and soymilks related to the protein, isoflavones, oil, and sugar contents and soymilk yield (p &lt; 0.05). The BRS 133 and BRS 284 cultivars and soymilks presented the highest total isoflavone content (p &lt; 0.05). Regarding the overall consumer acceptance, there were significant differences among cultivars (p &lt; 0.05) with means ranging from 5.9 to 6.7 and the lower score was obtained by BRS 267. However, the cluster analysis identified three consumer segments according to preference similarity. The cultivars BRS 284 and BRS 267 reached the highest mean among the consumers of segment 1 (6.8 and 6.7 respectively). The consumers of segment 2 preferred the cultivar without lipoxygenases, BRS 213 (mean of 7.5) while segment 3 preferred the BRS 133 (mean of 7.4). The process of blanching of soybean with bicarbonate solution, grinding with boiling water and pasteurization mitigated the differences between conventional and specialty cultivars and the six cultivars evaluated were suitable for soymilk production.

Dietary Effects on Chronic Venous Disease

Diet is fundamental to maintaining and improving human health. There is ample evidence identifying the beneficial and/or harmful effects of diet on noncommunicable diseases such as obesity, diabetes mellitus, and cardiovascular disease. However, the associations of the diet to chronic venous disease has not been fully described. Data were collected through a cross-sectional survey conducted on 1,571 community-dwelling adults in 2018. Diet intake frequency was assessed using valid food group consumption frequency questionnaires. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to evaluate the association of diet with chronic venous disease. In total, 857 participants were diagnosed with chronic venous disease. Those who ate soybean products daily and 4-6days/week had a 51-31% lower risk of chronic venous disease compared with those who only occasionally consumed soybean food, respectively. Participants who consumed eggs and egg products 1-3days/week versus those who only occasionally ate eggs showed a lower risk of chronic venous disease [odds ratio (OR) 0.542, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.375-0.782]. Eating fried food 4-6days each week was associated with an increased risk of chronic venous disease (OR 3.872, 95% CI 1.263-11.599) compared with those who only occasionally ate fried foods. There is a decreasing tendency of the adjusted OR for eating soybean products daily with the severity of disease [chronic venous disease (C0-C2): OR 0.575, 95% CI 0.408-0.812; chronic venous insufficiency (C3-C6): OR 0.222, 95% CI 0.114-0.435]. A higher frequency in the consumption of soybean products and eggs were associated with a lower risk of chronic venous disease. High level of fried food consumption was positively associated with risk of chronic venous disease. There are certain specific trends in relation to dietary consumption and severity of disease, although these trends were less strong. These associations are largely independent of other dietary and nondietary factors.

Abstract 5911: Soybean products consumption decreases risk for gastric cancer: Results from the Health Examinees study

Abstract Background: Twenty percent of soy production is consumed directly by humans worldwide. However, epidemiological findings on the association between soybean products consumption and gastric cancer risk remain inconsistent. We evaluated the relationship between soybean products consumption and the risk of gastric cancer in a prospective cohort study in Korea. Methods: This prospective cohort study included a total of 139,267 participants (men 46,953 and women 92,314) aged 40-69 years from the Health Examinees-Gem (HEXA-G) study between 2004 and 2013. Information on cancer diagnosis was retrieved from the Korea Central Cancer Registry until 31 December 2018. Multivariate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% of confidence intervals (CIs) for the risk of gastric cancer according to the consumption of soybean products were estimated using Cox proportional hazards models with age as the time scale. Results: A total of 884 incident cases of gastric cancer (men 480 and women 404) occurred over an average follow-up period of 9.20 years (men 9.18 years and women 9.21 years). We found that soybean products consumption is associated with the lower risk of gastric cancer among Koreans (the multivariate HRs for tofu consumption of more than two servings/week were 0.93 (95% CI: 0.68, 1.26; NS) among women and 0.63 (95% CI: 0.45, 0.89) among men). Among men with a body mass index of less than 25kg/m2, increased consumption of soybean paste (p for trend = 0.0188) and tofu (more than two servings/week vs. almost never consumed; HR 0.51 (0.32, 0.82) p for trend = 0.0095) was associated with decreased risk for gastric cancer. Conclusion : Our results suggest that a high consumption of soybean products has a protective effect against gastric cancer Citation Format: Woo-Kyoung Shin, Hwi-Won Lee, Dan Huang, Katherine De la Torre, Sukhong Min, Aesun Shin, Jong-koo Lee, Jung Eun Lee, Daehee Kang. Soybean products consumption decreases risk for gastric cancer: Results from the Health Examinees study [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2022; 2022 Apr 8-13. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2022;82(12_Suppl):Abstract nr 5911.

Soybean Improvement for Lipoxygenase-free by Simple Sequence Repeat (SSR) Markers Selection

Beany flavor of soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) is caused by oxidation of polyunsaturated fatty acids by the action of three lipoxygenases (LOX1, LOX2 and LOX3) present in mature seeds. The unpleasant flavor restricts human consumption of soybean products. This problem could be solved through genetic elimination of alleles that code these enzymes. Parental cultivars and two hybrid population were selected and analyzed using genetic markers for alleles locus, encoding Lox1, Lox2 and Lox3 free. The SSR marker Satt 212 confirmed the presence of the homozygous null-allele Lx3 in the cultivar BRS 213, which were used for hybridization with BR 36. Heterozygote F1 hybrid plants and homozygous Lx3 lines in F2 segregating populations were successfully identified. The SSR markers Sat090 and Sat417 were the most effective diagnostic markers among all SSR markers tested. Satt090 and Satt417 confirmed the presence of the homozygous Lx2 null-allele in the parental cultivar BRS 213 by flanking Lx2 loci at 3,00 and 2,77 cM, respectively. The presence of Lx2 null allele in the F2 segregating populations between BRS 213 and BRS 155 was successfully identified with a selection efficiency of 98% and have great potential for further application in the Brazilian breeding program aimed at improving soybean seed quality.

ANALISIS USAHATANI DAN PEMASARAN KEDELAI VARIETAS ANJASMORO DI KABUPATEN LAMPUNG TIMUR

Soybean is the main source of vegetable protein and vegetable oil consumed widely by the people of Indonesia. Soybean as one of the legumes plants becomes the basic ingredients of many foods such as ketchup, tofu, and tempeh. The high consumption of soybean products makes the Indonesian people highly dependent on soybeans. Therefore, it is essential to carry out a research about farming analysis and marketing channel of local soybeans which has been cultivated by farmers in North Raman District. This is because the marketing of soybean crops will determine the income that will be obtained by farmers later. This study aims to determine the income, financial feasibility, and marketing channels of soybeans in North Raman District East Lampung regency. The information of the study is important as it provides a clear description of local soybean marketing in Lampung that can be useful for soybean self-sufficiency program. This study used primary and secondary data. Primary data is data obtained collected directly from the field by sampling while secondary data is data obtained from provincial and central BPS (statistic agency) offices, and related institutions. Data analysis is done by tabulating the data, calculating the income and financial feasibility, and describing marketing channel of Anjasmoro soybean variety. Cultivation of Anjasmoro soybean in North Raman Subdistrict, both through breeding or not breeding, turns out to be profitable and financially feasible to undertake. There are 3 marketing channels that are commonly used by the respondent farmers. They are channel 1, 2, and 3. Channel 1 is the channel with the flow from farmers to village-level collectors who have contracts, licensed distributors or farmers to village-level collectors who have contracts, tofu/tempeh producers; Channel 2 is the one with the flow from the farmers directly selling to the producer of tofu/tempeh; and channel 3 is the one with the flow from farmers to village collecting trader, then to retailer, then to producers of tofu/tempeh.Keywords: Anjasmoro Soybean, Income, Marketing Channels

Synergistic Effect of Bioactive Anticarcinogens from Soybean on Anti-Proliferative Activity in MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 Human Breast Cancer Cells In Vitro.

Consumption of soybean products has been implicated in the prevention of breast cancer. This study provides insights into the anti-proliferative activity of 12 anticarcinogens from soybean by single or two-way combination treatment against MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cells. Results showed that genistein, daidzein, glycitein, genistin and dainzin showed stronger anti-proliferative activity against MCF-7 cells with EC50 values of 66.98 ± 4.87 μM, 130.14 ± 2.10 μM, 190.67 ± 5.65 μM, 72.82 ± 2.66 μM and 179.21 ± 6.37 μM, respectively. There is a synergistic effect of combination treatment of genistin plus daidzin in MCF-7 cells with combination index at inhibition of 50% (CI50) of 0.89 ± 0.12. Genistein, glycitein, genistin and β-sitosterol were demonstrated to have a stronger anti-proliferative activity against MDA-MB-231 cells with EC50 values of 93.75 ± 5.15 μM, 142.67 ± 5.88 μM, 127.82 ± 4.70 μM and 196.28 ± 4.45 μM. The synergistic effect was observed in the mixture of genistein plus genistin, genistein plus β-sitosterol or β-sitosterol plus genistin with CI50 values of 0.56 ± 0.13, 0.54 ± 0.20 and 0.45 ± 0.12, respectively. These bioactive anticarcinogens were able to inhibit invasion and migration of breast cancer cells and the combination treatments enhanced the inhibitory effect. Regulation of PI3K/Akt/mTORpathway seems to be the main mechanisms involved in the anticancer activity.

Dietary Patterns Associated with Cognitive Function among the Older People in Underdeveloped Regions: Finding from the NCDFaC Study.

Although dietary patterns are crucial to cognitive function, associations of dietary patterns with cognitive function have not yet been fully understood. This cross-sectional study explored dietary patterns associated with cognitive function among the older adults in underdeveloped regions, using 1504 community-dwelling older adults aged 60 and over. Diet was assessed using a food frequency questionnaire and 24-h dietary recall. Factor analysis was used to extract dietary patterns. Global cognitive function was assessed using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). Two dietary patterns, a “mushroom, vegetable, and fruits” (MVF) pattern and a “meat and soybean products” (MS) pattern, were identified. The MVF pattern, characterized by high consumption of mushrooms, vegetables, and fruits was significantly positively associated with cognitive function (p < 0.05), with an odds ratio of (95% CIs) 0.60 (0.38, 0.94) for cognitive impairment and β (95% CIs) 0.15 (0.02, 0.29) for –log (31-MMSE score). The MS pattern, characterized by high consumption of soybean products and meat, was also associated with better cognitive function, with an odds ratio of 0.47 (95% CIs 0.30, 0.74) for cognitive impairment and β (95% CIs) 0.34 (0.21, 0.47) for –log (31-MMSE score). Our results suggested that both the MVF and MS patterns were positively associated with better cognitive function among older adults in underdeveloped regions.

Assessment of Knowledge and Consumption Patterns of Soybean, Moringa Oleifera, Aloe Vera and Other Agro-Resources: The Case of the Elderly and Pregnant/Nursing Women in Lome, Togo

Purpose: To assess how soybean products and other agro-resources are known and consumed by some vulnerable populations in Lome (Togo). Methods: A cross sectional study was conducted from March to April 2015 among people aged 50 years and over attending two Pension Fund departments and pregnant and nursing women attending Bè Hospital in Lome. Data were collected using a pre-tested face-to-face questionnaire. Participants were surveyed about their knowledge and consumption habits of soybean, Moringa oleifera, Aloe vera products and other agro-resources. Results: A total of 847 respondents were included in the study with 426 pregnant/nursing women and 421 people aged 50 years and over. The majority of respondents were married (39.5%) and 45.3% of the elderly people were widowed. At least nine over ten respondents (96%) knew soybean products and 76.8% of them reported a lifetime consumption of soybean products. The available and most consumed agro-resources included tofu (82.7%), moringa leaves (87.2%) and soy flour (29.7%). The least consumed products were soymilk, soy yogurt and moringa juice. Respondents also reported using moringa tea and soap, as well as Aloe vera juice and toothpaste. Conclusion: Soybean products and other agricultural resources are well known and consumed by people living in Lome. Data on actual food intake is useful to public health professionals and food safety risk assessors. It is important to inform the public at large of the recognized benefits of some foods that will provide solutions to their health problems.

Using Soybean Products in School Lunch for Health Education may improve Children’s Attitude and Guardians’ Knowledge in Kindergarten

Soybean products are healthy and an important source of vegetable protein in Japan. This study examines the effects of using soybean products at home and decreasing children’s dislike of soybean products. A quasiexperimental pre-post-test design was utilised to examine the effect of using school lunch programs to assess the consumption of soybean products. The study’s participants included 309 children (mean 4.2 ± 0.8 ages) attending kindergarten and nursery facilities. We compared the score among the 3 groups (Intervention, Comparison A and Comparison B) before and after the intervention. Children thinking about ‘respect for food’ was significantly higher in the intervention groups than the comparison group (p<0.01, p=N.S, p=N.S, by Fisher’s exact test). The improvement in knowledge about nutrition education in the intervention group and Comparison A was significantly higher than comparison B (p<0.01, p<0.01, p=N.S). Health education involving the soybeans program may lead to an increase in thinking about ‘respect for food’ among kindergarten children and an increase giving knowledge in their guardians.

Levels of urinary isoflavones and lignan polyphenols in Japanese women

High consumption of soybean products has been associated with a reduced risk of hormone-sensitive tumors. Soybean products contain phytoestrogens, such as daidzein, and sesame seeds contain secoisolariciresinol. These compounds are further metabolized to equol, enterodiol, and enterolactone by intestinal bacteria. However, individual differences in the metabolizing potential remain unclear. The aim of this study was to evaluate the urinary daidzein, equol, enterodiol, and enterolactone concentrations in women from several different regions of Japan according to age group. Five hundred urine samples collected from Japanese women living in Sapporo, Sendai, Kyoto, Kochi, and Naha were analyzed for daidzein, equol, enterodiol, and enterolactone concentration by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. The urinary isoflavone and lignan polyphenol levels did not differ significantly among the sampling sites, except for daidzein, which was highest in urine collected at Naha. The prevalence of equol producers was 39 % in the total study cohort. In equol producers, a positive correlation was observed between the urinary daidzein and equol levels (r = 0.399, p < 0.001). However, there was no significant difference between daidzein concentrations in equol producers and non-producers. Moreover, the levels of enterodiol and enterolactone were higher in equol producers than in equol non-producers. In the multivariate logistic analyses, two factors, Sendai dwelling and current smoking, were found to be significant [equol producers to non-producers: odds ratio 2.15 (95 % confidence interval: 1.17-4.02) and odds ratio 0.32 (0.15-0.63), respectively]. Our data suggest that geographic factors and smoking status should be considered during the evaluation of equol in urine samples and that the same pathway may be responsible for the metabolism of both isoflavones and lignan polyphenols.

Isolation of low-molecular albumins of 2S fraction from soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merrill).

Numerous studies have shown that consumption of soybean products decrease the risk of cancers in humans. Experiments at the molecular level have demonstrated that in most cases proteins and peptides are responsible for the anticancer properties of soybeen. Special attention should be paid to lunasin - a peptide described for the first time 16 years ago. Due to its structure it causes i.a., inhibition of cancer cell proliferation. A novel procedure for the isolation and purification of low-molecular-mass 2S soybean albumin protein is described in the present paper. A fraction of four peptides one of them corresponding to molecular mass and isoelectric point characteristic for lunasin. The obtained peptides decreased on the rate of HeLa cell proliferation.

Abstract B107: The association of soy consumption and lung cancer among Japanese women: Analyses stratified by smoking status and reproductive factors

Abstract Soybean products intake has been suggested to have protective effects against breast cancer. As for lung cancer, we previously reported that soy consumption showed inverse association with the risk of non-small cell lung cancers (NSCLC) with epidermal growth factor receptor mutations among Japanese. However, other possible heterogeneity of its effect on the etiology of NSCLC by background characteristics is still unclear. In this study, we investigated the impact of soy consumption on the development of NSCLC among larger number of Japanese women, with the association of smoking status, reproductive factors, as well as histology. We conducted a case-control study with 420 NSCLC women cases and 840 age-sex matched control subjects. Dietary exposures were evaluated based on a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire, including items on lifestyles, menstrual and reproductive history. Soy consumption was categorized into two groups: a lower third group, “Low consumption group (LCG)” which intake of soy was less than 30.3 mg/day, and others, “High consumption group (HCG)” which intake of soy were 30.3mg/day or more. We assessed the impact of soy consumption on lung cancer by calculating odds ratios (ORs) and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of HCG, relative to LCG with adjustment for potential confounding factors using logistic regression model. In the overall analysis, we observed inverse association with high consumption of soy products [OR: 0.87, 95%CI: 0.65–1.16]. When stratified by smoking status, HCG in never smokers showed significantly inverse association showed an OR below unity [OR: 0.69, 95%CI: 0.50–0.96] in spite of the increased OR among HCG in ever smokers [OR: 2.02, 95%CI: 1.11–3.68]. As for reproductive factors, ORs of HCG were consistently below unity among women with pre-menopause [OR: 0.55, 95%CI: 0.29–1.04], menopause after 50 years old [OR: 0.57, 95%CI: 0.34–0.94], and no delivery [OR: 0.57, 95%CI: 0.15–1.06]. It is interesting to note that on histology based analysis, we found inverse association between high consumption of soy products and adenocarcinoma [OR: 0.57, 95%CI: 0.34–0.94] among never smokers, despite the increased ORs were seen among ever smokers [OR: 3.35, 95%CI: 0.17–67.7]. In this study, consumption of soybean products generally demonstrated an inverse association with NSCLC. In addition, the results indicated the interaction between soy consumption and smoking status for the impact on the development of NSCLC. We also found associations among soy consumption, reproductive factors and lung cancer, which indicated that female hormonal factors might be involved in the etiology of NSCLC. Further epidemiological evaluation is warranted. Citation Information: Cancer Prev Res 2010;3(1 Suppl):B107.

Nutrient intakes and serum lipid profiles are improved in elderly Korean women with home food delivery

This study was conducted to determine if home delivery of food for low-income and free-living elderly Korean women could improve nutrient intakes and serum lipid profiles. Women living alone in the Bucheon area (a suburb of Seoul) and receiving social welfare benefits from the government were screened with the Health and Nutrition Risk Index. Twenty-seven subjects with high Health and Nutrition Risk Index scores were assigned to the food-assisted (FA) group. The group for comparison consisted of the same number of subjects residing in the same location and matching key variables. A dietitian from the local government–funded elderly food assistance program delivered food to the homes of the FA group subjects for 8 months. Food items consisted of fish, eggs, soybean products, fruits, vegetables, dairy products, and/or cereals. The budget for each individual was kept within 5000 won ($5) per week. This food assistance program resulted in a significant improvement in nutrient intakes, especially for plant protein, plant fat, iron, and vitamin A ( P < .01-.05). Furthermore, there was a significant increased consumption of soybean products ( P < .001), fruits ( P < .05), and eggs ( P < .05). Although the percentage of nutrient intakes contributed by the home-delivered food was between 4.0% and 10.7% of the total intake, subjects in this group showed significant decreases in body fat percentage ( P < .05) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol ( P < .01) as well as increases in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ( P < .01). The FA group also exhibited significant improvement in mental health associated with the degree of depression as estimated with a short form of the Geriatric Depression Scale. Stepwise multiple regression analysis revealed that the decrease in serum total cholesterol after the program was associated with increased consumption of soybean products and vitamin B 1 intake. Serum triacylglycerols were favorably affected by increased intakes of vitamin A, fruits, and soybean products. In conclusion, an economical food assistance program centered on soybean products, fruits, and vegetables for elderly women living alone can be used to improve nutrient intakes and, concomitantly, serum lipid profiles as well as depression.

Changes in gene expressions elicited by physiological concentrations of genistein on human endometrial cancer cells

The incidence of hormone-related diseases such as prostatic, breast, ovarian, and endometrial cancer is lower in Asian populations compared to Western countries. High consumption of soybean products that are rich in phytoestrogens, predominantly genistein, is postulated to be responsible for the lower incidence of hormone-related disease, although the mechanism through which this effect might be mediated is unclear. In this study, microarray analysis was used to identify the changes in gene expression elicited by treatment of the human endometrial cancer cell line, Ishikawa, with genistein at both physiologically achievable and supraphysiological concentrations. Genistein treatment at 5 microM concentration induced multiple changes in gene expression including some implicated in oncogenesis. In contrast, treatment with a supraphysiological concentration of genistein predominantly activated stress response genes and showed very limited overlap with the genes regulated at lower concentrations. Of the genes regulated by genistein, 9.3% were also regulated by 17beta-estradiol suggesting that genistein exerts its response via the estrogen pathway. These results indicate that at physiological concentrations, genistein is able to elicit pleiotropic effects on a variety of pathways believed to be involved in tumorigenesis. Supraphysiological concentrations of genistein, such as those used in many previous studies, elicit changes in gene expression that are unlikely to occur in vivo.

Occupational and lifestyle factors and urinary 8‐hydroxydeoxyguanosine

The amount of 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OH-dG) excreted in urine can be used not only as an indicator of DNA repair capacity, but also as a potential marker of oxidative DNA damage. To clarify the oxidation-related factors, in consideration of cancer risk, this study investigated how urinary 8-OH-dG was associated with occupational and lifestyle factors in 372 healthy workers. The creatinine-adjusted urinary 8-OH-dG level was significantly higher in male subjects, smokers and drinkers compared with their counterparts. There were significant positive correlations of the 8-OH-dG level with average number of working hours, involvement in work, average number of cigarettes smoked, average volume of alcohol consumed and serum cortisol level, and there were significant negative correlations of the 8-OH-dG level with body mass index (BMI) and consumption of soybean products, rice and light-colored vegetables. Multiple regression analysis showed that average number of working hours and average number of cigarettes smoked were significant predictors of increased 8-OH-dG levels, whereas being female and BMI were significant predictors of decreased 8-OH-dG levels. Working hours, BMI and smoking were significant predictors of urinary 8-OH-dG in male subjects, whereas age and BMI were significant predictors in female subjects. We suggest that several occupational and lifestyle factors, particularly long working hours and cigarette smoking, are linked to the formation of 8-OH-dG in workers.

Allergenic Proteins in Soybean: Processing and Reduction of P34 Allergenicity

Soybean ranks among the "big 8" of the most allergenic foods, and with increasing consumption of soybean products, the incidence of soy-caused allergies is expected to escalate. Soybean and its derivatives have become ubiquitous in vegetarian and many meat-based food products, and as a result, dietary avoidance has become difficult. However, soybeans can be manipulated in a variety of ways to alter their allergenicity. Several studies have focused on reducing the allergenicity of soybeans by changing the structure of the immunodominant allergen P34 using food processing, agronomic, or genetic manipulation techniques. A review of the literature pertaining to these studies is presented here.

Socio-economic Determinants of Consumption of Soybean Products in Nigeria: A Case Study of Oyo State, Nigeria

This study examined level of consumption of soybean products in Nigeria. The study also found out socioeconomic factors influencing the level of consumption of soybean products in the study area. One hundred and ninety two households were sampled for the study using stratified random sampling technique. Data were collected from the respondents using structured interview schedule. The results of the study showed that marital status of the household heads significantly influenced the level of consumption of soybean products by the households since the F -- calculated value (3.467) exceeds F -- tabulated value (3.10) at 0.05 level. More widowed women consumed soybean products than any other single marital group. The results also showed that there is significant relationship between the household size and level of consumption of soybean products (r = 0.322 p = 0.01). In addition there is a negative and significant relationship between respondents formal educational attainments and their levels of consumption of soybean products (r = -0.282 p = 0.01). It is recommended that governmental and non-governmental organizations working on food security should provide better assistance to the widowed people. (authors)

Analysis of Isoflavones in Soy Foods

AbstractIncreasing evidence suggests that consumption of soybean products may have a significant impact upon health. The biological activity has been associated, in part, with the presence of isoflavones in soy. Analysis of these bioactive compounds in soybean products is an essential part of any research involving soy isoflavones. Various processing conditions produce soy products with a wide range of isoflavone content and composition. Recent studies demonstrated that the chemical forms and abundance of isoflavones in soy foods have a significant impact on their bioavailability and biological effects. It is thus very important to avoid altering the natural forms and abundance of the twelve soy isoflavones during extraction, identification, and quantification. In this unit, an attempt has been made to provide reliable protocols with the most commonly used analytical techniques for this purpose.