• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.275-282
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• 2018

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVE: There is intense interest in soy isoflavone as a hormone replacement therapy for the prevention of postmenopausal osteoporosis. A new kind of isoflavone-enriched whole soy milk powder (I-WSM) containing more isoflavones than conventional whole soy milk powder was recently developed. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of I-WSM on bone metabolism in ovariectomized mice. MATERIALS/METHODS: Sixty female ICR mice individually underwent ovariectomy (OVX) or a sham operation, and were randomized into six groups of 10 animals each as follows: Sham, OVX, OVX with 2% I-WSM diet, OVX with 10% I-WSM diet, OVX with 20% I-WSM diet, and OVX with 20% WSM diet. After an 8-week treatment period, bone mineral density (BMD), calcium, alkaline phosphatase (ALP), tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) 5b, osteocalcin (OC), procollagen 1 N-terminal propeptide (P1NP), and osteoprotegenin (OPG) were analyzed. RESULTS: BMD was significantly lower in the OVX group compared to the Sham group but was significantly higher in OVX + 10% I-WSM and OVX + 20% I-WSM groups compared to the OVX group (P < 0.05). Serum calcium concentration significantly increased in the OVX + 10% and 20% I-WSM groups. Serum ALP levels were significantly lower in the OVX + 10% and 20% I-WSM groups compared to the other experimental groups (P < 0.05). OC was significantly reduced in the OVX group compared to the Sham group (P < 0.05), but a dose-dependent increase was observed in the OVX groups supplemented with I-WSM. P1NP and OPG levels were significantly reduced, while TRAP 5b level was significantly elevated in the OVX group compared with the Sham group, which was not affected by I-WSM (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that I-WSM supplementation in OVX mice has the effect of preventing BMD reduction and promoting bone formation. Therefore, I-WSM can be used as an effective alternative to postmenopausal osteoporosis prevention.

• Nutritional Sciences
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.71-75
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• 1999

Epidemiologic studies consistently demonstrate an inverse relationship between risk for colon canter and consumption of fruits and vegetables. Wheat bran, flax and soy contain dietary fiber and phytochemicals, such as lignans and isoflavones, that may inhibit colon carcinogenesis. Orange juice contains hesperidin, a flavanone glucoside that protects against colon carcinogenesis. This study determined if feeding orange juice, wheat bran, soy and flaxseed (combined diet) would inhibit azoxymethane (AOM) induced colon cancer. Cancer was initiated in male Fisher 344 rats by injecting 15 mg AOM/kg of weight at 22 and 29 days of age. One week after the second AOM injection, rats (N = 30) in the combined diet group received dry diet containing wheat bran (4%), soy with ethanol soluble phytochemirals(13%) and flaxseed (8%) and orange juice replaced drinking water. The control group remained on the control diet and received distilled water to drink. The rats were killed 28 weeks later, and colon tissues and tumors were removed for histologic analysis. Feeding the combined diet significantly reduced tumor incidence (p < 0.05), however tumor multiplicity was not changed (p > 0.05, 0.9 tumors/rat fed the combined diet vs 1.2 for controls). Also, tumor burden was only marginally reduced in rats fed the combined diet vs control rats (65 vs 210 mg of tumor/rats, respectively). The reduction in tumor incidence was associated with a decreased labeling index and proliferation zone in normal appearing colon mucosa. Therefore, this study shows that phytochemicals in wheat bran, soy, flax and orange juice reduce colon carcinogenesis, presumably by decreasing cell proliferation and enhancing cell differentiation.

• Nutrition Research and Practice
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• v.8 no.6
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• pp.618-624
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• 2014

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Isoflavones are widely believed to be beneficial to human health, in relation to their antioxidant potentials. Exercise can cause an imbalance between reactive oxygen species (ROS) and antioxidants. This study was conducted in order to investigate the ability of isoflavones in amelioration of oxidative stress induced by exercise. MATERIALS/METHODS: Male Sprague-Dawley rats were assigned to one of four groups: isoflavone-free with no exercise (CON-sd), isoflavone-free with exercise (CON-ex), isoflavone-supplemented with no exercise (ISF-sd), and isoflavone-supplemented with exercise (ISF-ex). Animals exercised on the treadmill for 30 minutes per day, five days per week. TBARS as a marker of oxidative stress and antioxidant enzyme activity, including SOD, GSH-px, and catalase were determined in liver tissue. Serum lipid profile was also examined. RESULTS: A significant effect of isoflavone alone was observed on abdominal fat pad mass. ISF-ex had significantly less abdominal fat pad than CON-ex. Both exercise and isoflavone treatment had significant effects on lowering plasma triglyceride (TG), thus, the ISF-ex group had a significantly lower TG level than the CON-sd group, by 30.9%. However, no differences were observed in plasma cholesterol, HDL-C, and cholesterol/HDL-C ratio. Exercise, isoflavone, and exercise-isoflavone interaction effects were significant on thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) (P = 0.001, 0.002, and 0.005, respectively). The CON-ex group showed a higher TBARS level than the other three groups. By contrast, in the ISF-ex group, TBARS was restored to the level of the ISF-sd or CON-sd group. Isoflavone had a significant effect on superoxide dismutase (SOD) (P = 0.022) and catalase activities (P = 0.049). Significantly higher SOD and catalase activities were observed in ISF-ex than CON-ex. SOD and catalase activities showed an inverse pattern of TBARS. Taken together, isoflavones increased the activities of SOD and catalase with concomitant decreases in TBARS, indicative of decreased oxidative stress. CONCLUSIONS: Isoflavone supplementation enhances antioxidant action with attenuation of exercise-induced oxidative stress, as measured by decreases in TBARS, and inhibits body fat accumulation and plasma TG increase. Antioxidative effects ascribed to isoflavones may be partially exerted via enhancement of antioxidant enzyme activities.

• Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.2191-2199
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• 2013

Breast cancer is one of the most frequently diagnosed cancers and the leading cause of cancer death among women. Soy isoflavones have been widely studied and among all isoflavones equol has been gaining interest with regard to its relationship with breast cancer risk. Obesity has been revealed as one of the breast cancer risk factors, known to be associated with high levels of circulating insulin and decreased levels of adiponectin. Hence there have been many studies investigating relationships between insulin and adiponectin levels and breast cancer risk. Additionally recent findings have suggested that insulin and adiponectin themselves may have influence on breast cancer development, independent of obesity. In the present review, we discuss the relationships between breast cancer risk and equol, insulin and adiponectin levels, which are three important factors in our ongoing hospital-based case-control study. Herein these factors are reviewed not only from the clinical viewpoint but also from possible chemical and biological points of view which may explain clinical observations.

• Food Science and Biotechnology
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.643-646
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• 2006

Cheonggukjang, a popular Korean traditional fermented soyfood, was manufactured by fermenting steamed soybeans in a temperature-controlled room by traditional methods in which steamed soy was exposed to rice straw naturally rich in Bacillus species. B. subtilus and B. licheniformis were found to be the major microorganisms present in cheonggukjang made by the traditional method. We analyzed the composition of 12 kinds of isoflavones and their glycosides present in cheonggukjang collected at various fermentation times. Total isoflavone content in raw soybeans was 2,867 mg/kg and this decreased by about 50% during cooking prior to cheonggukjang preparation. However, total isoflavone content changed slightly during 45 hr of fermentation. Total content of isoflavone glycosides, consisting mainly of daidzin, glycitein, and genistin, decreased by about 40% during 45 hr of fermenting cooked soybeans. The contents of tree isoflavones including daidzein, glycitein, and genistein showed a dramatic increase during fermentation in cheonggukjang preparation, with a 2.9-, 54.0-, and 20.6-fold increase in concentration, respectively, by the end of fermentation (45 hr). In conclusion, short-term fermentation of cooked soybeans with Bacillus species caused conspicuous changes in the composition of isoflavone derivatives, and its implication in terms of health benefits deserves further study.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.45 no.5
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• pp.702-710
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• 2016

The bioactivity of soy grits cheonggukjang was enhanced by fermentation using three ${\beta}$-glucosidase-producing Bacillus subtilis strains (HJ 18-9, HJ 25-8, and HJ 18-9+HJ 25-8) for 48 h at $37^{\circ}C$. The results indicate that protease, cellulase, and a-amylase activities significantly increased (P<0.05) with increasing fermentation time. In addition, the amino-type nitrogen content of B. subtilis-fermented soy grits cheonggukjang increased to 91.0~168.0 mg% after 48 h of fermentation. Among the isoflavones in soy grits cheonggukjang, contents of ${\beta}$-glucosides or acetyl-glucosides were reduced while aglycone content increased upon fermentation. In particular, soy grits cheonggukjang fermented with B. subtilis HJ18-9 and HJ25-8 showed the largest increases in aglycone content compared to complex treatment. These results provide useful information for development starter (single and complex) as well as for production of high quality fermented soybean food.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.40-47
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• 2005

This study was performed to determine the effect of three different concentrations of soy-isoflavones on calcium and phosphorus balance in either sham-operated or ovariectomized female rats. Seventy-two 16-week old Sprague-Dawley rats underwent sham operation or bilateral ovariectomy. They were provided diets containing different levels of soy iso-flavones for 6 weeks: 50 ppm (Jow isoflavone intake; LI) , 250 ppm (medium isoflavone intake; MI) and 500 ppm (high isoflavone intake; HI). The subsequent fecal and urinary excretions of calcium and phosphorus were then measured. In the sham-operated rats, body weight gains and food efficiency ratio of the MI and HI groups were significantly lower than the control group while food intake was not different. However, there was no significant difference in the ovariectomized rats. The fecal excretion of calcium was significantly lower in the LI, MI and HI groups than the control group in sham operated rats, and significantly lower in the HI group than the control group in ovariectomized rats. Also, apparent ab-sorption rate of calcium and phosphorus did not show any significant difference among groups. Urinary excretion of calcium and phosphorus was significantly lower in the HI group than the LI group in the sham-operated rats. Urinary excretion of calcium was significantly higher in the control ovariectomized rats than in the control sham-operated rats. Retention of calcium and phosphorus did not show any significant difference in both groups. From the above result, we see that isoflavone intake increases calcium retention through an increase in calcium absorption and also suppresses the increase of calcium excretion in urine in ovariectomy. Therefore, it is suggested that isoflavone intake is recommended for menopausal women who experience sharp bone loss due to the decrease in estrogen honnone.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.39 no.8
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• pp.801-807
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• 2006

To elucidate the effect of soy isoflavone supplementation on bone mineral density and antioxidant enzyme activity in 60 postmenopausal women residing in Iksan area were recruited. There were 31 participants in the treatment group and 29 in the control group. The treatment group consumed isoflavone extract capsules daily (which contained 90 mg of soy isoflavones) for 12 weeks. The study compared before and after isoflavone intake in the following areas. Physical examination, diet survey, bone mineral density (BMD) and antioxidant enzyme activity (superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), catalase (CAT) and total antioxidant capacity (TA)). The average age of the treatment group was 64.6 years and that of the control group was 66.5 years. There were no significant differences between the two groups in terms of height, weight and body mass index. Both groups maintained a regular diet pattern in terms of their average daily nutrient intake. There were no significant differences between the treatment group (23.3 mg) and the control group (24.0 mg) in terms of daily isoflavone intake based on diet. Isoflavone supplementation of 12 weeks did not resulted in any significant changes in BMD or parameters of antioxidant enzyme activity, implying the necessity of more intensive intervention for a substantial change. In conclusion, this study revealed that antioxidant enzyme activity holds a significant relationship with the bone mineral density in postmenopausal women and further systematic research on dose and period of isoflavone supplementation is needed to clearify the positive effect of isoflavone on BMD and/or blood antioxidant capacity in postmenopausal women.

• Journal of Nutrition and Health
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• v.34 no.3
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• pp.322-329
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• 2001

There is growing evidence that soy isoflavones play beneficial role in the prevention of cardiovascular disease. However, current data are not sufficient to determine the effective dose of isoflavone on improving plasma lipid profiles and total antioxidant capacity in Korean menopausal women. In the present study, 24 perimenopausal and 23 postmenopausal women were divided into 3 groups and were given soy isoflavone supplements of 100, 150, 200mg/day for 12weeks. Blood samples were taken before and after 6, 12weeks of soy isoflavone supplementation for analysis of total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, triglyceride and total antioxidant status(TAS). In the perimenopausal women, serum total cholesterol level decreased significantly in all three groups after 12weeks of isoflavone supplementation(p< 0.05). However, serum LDL cholesterol level significantly lowered only in 150 and 200mg groups, and serum triglyceride level decreased significantly in 200mg group(p<0.05). In the postmenopausal women, the 150mg isoflavone supplementation group demonstrated significant effects on lowering serum total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol levels and raising HDL cholesterol level after 12weeks of isoflavone supplementation(p<0.05). Two hundred mg isoflavone supplementation group had a significantly higher TAS than other groups in both perimenopausal and postmenopausal women. (Korean J Nutrition 34(3) : 322∼329, 2001)

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.44 no.2
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• pp.182-188
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• 2000

High soy consumption leading to high exposures of soy isoflavones has been associated with a reduced risk of cancers at many sites. As part of a study focusing on the chemopreventive mechanisms, we have investigated the modulating effects of daidzein and genistein, a prominent and more bioavailable isoflavone in soy foods, on murine immune function. Daidzein (50 mg/kg) or genistein (50 mg/kg) was administered p.o. once a day for 7 days in BALB/c mice. Daidzein decreased the mitogen-stimulated proliferation of murine splenocyte, but genistein increased it. Daidzein stimulated the secretion of interleukin-4, but inhibited the secretion of ${\gamma}$-interferon, interleukin-2 and tumor necrosis factor-$\alpha$. Genistein stimulated the secretion of ${\gamma}$-interferon, interleukin-2 and tumor necrosis factor-$\alpha$, but inhibited the secretion of interleukin-4. Daidzein and geiustein inhibited the production of nitric oxide and enhanced the phagocytic activity in peritoneal macrophage. These results suggest that cancer preventive effects of daidzein is partly concerned with the secretion of $T_{H}$2 cells cytokine and the activation of macrophage phagocytosis, and genistein is partly concerned with the secretion of $T_{H}$l cells cytokine, tumor necrosis factor-$\alpha$ and the activation of macrophage phagocytosis.sis.