Hormonal
Dietary phytoestrogens (specifically isoflavones from soy and lignans from flax) may confer health benefits for cardiovascular disease, cancer, osteoporosis, and menopausal symptoms through both estrogen-receptor-dependent and independent mechanisms.
Incorporate soy (tofu, tempeh, soy milk) and flaxseed into your diet. While clinical results on cholesterol vary, the mechanistic and epidemiological evidence suggests these foods may support heart health and hormonal balance, especially for postmenopausal women. Note that individual gut bacteria determine how effectively you process these compounds.
Accumulating evidence from molecular and cellular biology experiments, animal studies, and, to a limited extent, human clinical trials suggests that phytoestrogens may potentially confer health benefits related to cardiovascular diseases, cancer, osteoporosis, and menopausal symptoms.
Why this rating
Strong mechanistic and epidemiological data, but human clinical trials show inconsistent results regarding lipid profiles and other outcomes.
Source
Potential Health Benefits of Dietary Phytoestrogens: A Review of the Clinical, Epidemiological, and Mechanistic Evidence<sup>1</sup>
Doris M. Tham et al. · The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism · 1998
DOI 10.1210/jcem.83.7.4752
More from this paper
- High dietary intake of phytoestrogens (specifically isoflavones and lignans) is associated with reduced incidence of hormone-related cancers (breast, prostate, endometrial) in epidemiological studies.Good
- Soy protein containing phytoestrogens may lower LDL cholesterol and improve lipid profiles in hypercholesterolemic individuals, primarily through up-regulation of LDL receptors.Moderate
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This is one finding among thousands. Every one is graded and traced to its source, so you can see what the evidence actually supports. Browse the research →