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Bioavailability of isoflavone phytoestrogens in postmenopausal women consuming soya milk fermented with probiotic bifidobacteria

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 March 2007

Dimitri Tsangalis ,
Gisela Wilcox ,
Nagendra P. Shah  and
Lily Stojanovska
Dimitri Tsangalis
Affiliation:
Food Safety Authenticity and Quality Unit, Victoria University, Werribee Campus, Victoria, Australia
Gisela Wilcox*
Affiliation:
Clinical Nutrition and Metabolism Unit & Monash University, Department of Medicine, Monash Medical Centre,Clayton, Victoria, Australia
Nagendra P. Shah
Affiliation:
School of Molecular Sciences, Victoria University, Werribee Campus, Victoria, Australia
Lily Stojanovska
Affiliation:
School of Biomedical Sciences, Victoria University, St Albans Campus, Victoria, Australia
*
*Corresponding author: Dr Gisela Wilcox, fax +61 3 9594 6370, email gwilcox@bigpond.net.au
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Abstract

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We investigated the effects of consuming an isoflavone aglycone-enriched soya milk containing viable bifidobacteria on urinary isoflavone excretion and percentage recovery. Sixteen postmenopausal women were randomly divided into two groups to consume either fermented or non-fermented soya milk. Each group participated in a double-blind, crossover study with three 14 d supplementation periods, separated by a 14 d washout. Subjects ingested three daily dosages of isoflavone via the soya milk and collected four 24 h pooled urine specimens per supplementation period. Soya milks were prepared with soya protein isolate and soya germ, followed by fermentation with bifidobacteria. Isoflavone levels were quantified using HPLC. Non-fermented soya milks at 20, 40 and 80 mg isoflavone/200 ml contained 10 %, 9 % and 7 % aglycone, respectively, with their fermented counterparts containing 69 %, 57 % and 36 % aglycone (P<0·001). A trend to a greater percentage urinary recovery of daidzein and glycitein was observed among women consuming fermented soya milk at a dosage of 40 mg isoflavone (P=0·13). A distinct linear dose response for the fermented soya milk group (R2=0·9993) compared with the non-fermented group (R2=0·8865) suggested less interindividual variation in isoflavone absorption. However, total urinary isoflavone excretion was similar for both groups (P>0·05), with urinary isoflavone recovery at approximately 31 %. Increasing the isoflavone dosage correlated positively with its urinary excretion, but urinary percentage recovery of isoflavone was inversely related to dosage level. Hence, a modest dosage ranging from 20 to 30 mg/d may provide the most bioavailable source of isoflavone, regardless of whether it is via an aglycone-rich fermented soya milk or a glucoside-rich soya milk.

Keywords

IsoflavoneBifidobacteriaSoya milkBioavailabilityPostmenopausal women
Type
Research Article
Information
British Journal of Nutrition , Volume 93 , Issue 6 , June 2005 , pp. 867 - 877
Copyright
Copyright © The Nutrition Society 2005

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