By Dan Vergano, Medical Tribune News Service
Seeking to increase public, and scientific, awareness of the
benefits of healthful nutrients found in soybeans and other foods,
the U.S. government has now unveiled a Web site listing amounts of
estrogen-like compounds found in everything from beans to wieners.
As more baby-boom women reach the age of menopause each year,
interest is growing in natural alternatives to estrogen replacement
therapy.
In theory, the weak estrogens in soy and related foods may
replace estrogen lost when ovulation ceases in menopausal women.
These ``isoflavones'' in the foods also have some antioxidant
effects, potentially reducing the risk of cancer, according to
nutritionists at the federal Department of Agriculture (USDA),
which sponsored the Web site.
``Interest in soy products is here to stay,'' said nutritionist
David B. Haytowitz of the Agricultural Research Services (ARS), in
Beltsville, Md., part of USDA. Haytowitz participated in creating
the site
(http://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/foodcomp/Data/isoflav/isoflav.shtml),
which lists a total of 128 foods. Federal nutritionists spent one
year on the project, combing through scientific literature to
derive the amounts of isoflavones, compounds familiar to health
store habitues such as daidzein, genistein and glycitein, in
various foods. In addition, food scientist Patricia A. Murphy of
Iowa State University in Ames, analyzed samples of various new food
products like vegetarian hot dogs and hamburgers to measure their
isoflavones.
Federal interest in quantifying the health benefits of soy
products has increased with the release last November of a proposed
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) rule to allow food manufacturers
to make health claims on soy-related products.
``The agency has tentatively concluded that, based on the
totality of publicly available scientific evidence, soy protein
included in a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol may reduce
the risk of coronary heart disease,'' according to an FDA notice in
the Federal Register. Foods like soybeans, chickpeas and tofu would
gain new labels touting their health benefits under this rule. The
agency is still working on the final wording of its manufacturer
guidance, according to Susan M. Pilch, of the FDA's Center for Food
Safety and Applied Nutrition.
The Web site contains two sets of tables detailing the amounts
of isoflavones in the various foods. For scientists, the site
offers connections to two lengthy lists of references for the
analysis. Researchers can also download a complete copy of the
database to their computers from the ARS.
The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
cautiously endorsed women using soy products as an alternative to
traditional hormone replacement therapy in its guidebook,
``Managing Menopause.'' The Washington D.C.-based organization
noted that research has found a 45 percent reduction in hot flashes
among women who took daily soy protein supplements.
The new Web site represents an effort by federal nutritionists
to raise awareness of more recently discovered nutrients in the
human diet, according to Haytowitz. A related site on his agencies'
web page looks at carotenoids, compounds associated with Vitamin A.
Future sites are planned to list nutrients in teas, onions and red
wine. ``We're just getting to the point where we can see the
physiological effects of these new compounds,'' said Haytowitz.
