PHYTOSOY:
Our unique Soy & Linseed formula
[link to more Laucke bread mixes]
Isoflavones, lignans linked to reduced risk of endometiral cancer
Lignans
linked to better cognitive function
High calcium
and vitamin D diet may decrease risk of PMS
Low-fat diet
could slow breast cancer, new study
Soy & Blood
Pressure
Soy: May reduce prostate
cancer
Flax Lignans: Cure for hair
loss
Soy Milk:
Europe's fastest growing 'dairy'
Lignans:
Benefits for brain function
Flaxseed: A muffin a day...
Not just
another ‘Soya and Linseed’ bread; PhytoSoy™ is carefully processed and formulated to ensure that all of the uniquely
significant health advantages of soya and linseed are available. In
addition to soya and linseed, PhytoSoy™ contains wheat bran and oat bran
to provide a high level of soluble and insoluble dietary fibre,
producing healthy fermentative activity in the colon and assisting in
the uptake of the phytoestrogens and essential nutrients. Also added is
calcium and Vitamin D3.
The key
ingredients of PhytoSoy are Phytoestrogens, Omega 3 Fatty Acids, Lignans,
Dietary Fibre, Calcium and Vitamin D3.
Phytoestrogens are plant compounds that mimic human oestrogen and are
found in most plants to varying degrees. The phytoestrogens in PhytoSoy
are Lignans in which Linseed is 75 - 800 times richer than any known
other plant source and Isoflavins of which Soy contains very high
levels.
Medical studies have suggested that people consuming high levels of
phytoestrogens are at less risk of breast and colon cancers as well as
coronary heart disease. Lignans, also present in Linseed are reported to
modulate oestrogen as an adjunct to medication. Alpha-linolenic acid
(omega 3) is also reported to reduce the incidence of cancer and
coronary heart disease.
Fibre has a protective effect in prevention of certain cancers and
assists in the control and prevention of diabetes and heart disease, and
extra wheat bran has been included on the basis of research performed by
Dr Joanne L Slavin “Effects of Wheat Bran on Metabolism of
Chemopreventative Agents in Humans”.
Calcium is added to help combat the effects of osteoporosis, and
Vitamin D3 is added to assist absorption of calcium.
PhytoSoy not only provides benefits to post
menopausal women, but also to the entire family.
Isoflavones,
lignans linked to reduced risk of endometrial cancer
[top]
8/6/2003
-
Women who include the natural
oestrogens isoflavones and lignans in their diet could be at reduced
risk of endometrial cancer, the fifth most common cancer among women
worldwide, report researchers.
The development of endometrial cancer is related to prolonged exposure
to oestrogens without cyclic exposure to progesterone. Phytoestrogens,
or oestrogens derived from plant foods such as soy, can remedy this
balance and appear to reduce the risk of the cancer which causes between
4000 - 5000 deaths in the US each year, shows the study in today’s issue
of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.
Dr Pamela L. Horn-Ross and colleagues from the Northern California Cancer Center in Union City, US, evaluated the associations between dietary intake of seven specific compounds representing three classes of phytoestrogens (isoflavones, coumestans, and lignans) and the risk of endometrial cancer in a case-control study of women aged 35 to 79 in the San Francisco area.
Consumption of isoflavones and lignans, but not coumestans, was associated with a reduced risk of endometrial cancer, particularly among postmenopausal women. Obese postmenopausal women consuming relatively low amounts of phytoestrogens had the highest risk of endometrial cancer; however, the interaction between obesity and phytoestrogen intake was not statistically significant, reported the team.
“Some phytoestrogenic compounds, at the levels consumed in the typical American-style diet, are associated with reduced risk of endometrial cancer,” they write. Soy-rich diets have previously been shown to reduce the risk of breast cancer in women.
Phytoestrogens are found in soy-based foods, but also in foods with added soy (such as white bread), and in lower amounts in coffee and orange juice.
Lignans linked to better cognitive function [top]
5/30/2005
-
Consumption of lignans
could help preserve cognitive function in postmenopausal women and
decrease their risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, according to
researchers at the Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care in
Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Several studies over the past five years have presented evidence that
cognitive decline can be a precursor to Alzheimer’s, in which diet is
thought to be a contributing factor.
When women experience the menopause, their natural estrogen levels decline gradually over two to ten years. The presence of estrogen receptors in the central nervous system indicates its role in cognitive function, but the side effects of estrogen replacement therapy (ERT) may include increased risk of breast cancer and cardiovascular disease, and vaginal bleeding.
Given these drawbacks, interest has been piqued in the effects of phytoestrogens obtained from the diet, which may provide the same benefits as ERT, without the risks.
But according to the Dutch researchers, whose study is published in the Journal of Nutrition (135, 5:1190-1195, 2005), data on the relationship between phytoestrogens and cognitive function are still sparse.
They set out to examine how dietary intake of two phytoestrogens, lignans and isoflavones, in the typical Western diet may affect cognitive function in postmenopausal women.
The main dietary sources of lignans are oil-seeds, linseeds, broccoli and berries. Isoflavones occur in soy products, beans, peas, nuts, tea and coffee.
The study involved 394 healthy postmenopausal women who had an intact uterus, at least one intact ovary and had not used hormonal replacement therapy since their last menstrual period. Of these women, 196 experienced a natural menopause between 1969 and 1979 and 207 between 1987 and 1989.
Their intake of phytoestrogens during the year prior to enrollment in the study was estimated by a validated food frequency questionnaire. Cognitive function was assessed by a mini-mental state examination (MMSE), which involved questions and tasks associated with orientation, registration, attention, calculation, recall and language.
Since diagnosis of dementia was not the aim, the cut-off score for intact cognitive function was relatively high – 26 or more out of a possible 30. After adjustment for confounders, women who consumed higher levels of lignans performed better in the MMSE, and the results were more pronounced amongst the women who experienced menopause between 1969 and 1979.
Establishing a reason for this difference was outside the scope of this study but possible explanations were put forward by the researchers, such as some other age-related mechanism. The 1969 to 1979 group had a mean age of 69.2 years, compared with 63.5 years for the 1987 to 1989 group.
"An alternative explanation is that the protective effect of endogenous estrogens on the nervous system us dependent on cumulative time of exposure rather than on actual levels of intake," they wrote.
However the researchers could establish no relationship between isoflavone intake and cognitive function – an apparent contradiction to the findings of a study published in Psycopharmacology in 2001, which concluded that isoflavones from soy may indeed positively effect cognition.
Other research underway in The Netherlands is investigating lignans’ potential to alleviate the effects of age-related conditions in men.
Earlier this month Acatris released the results of an animal study suggesting that flax lignans may help treat benign prostate hyperplasia, a condition said to affect more than half of all men over the age of 50. A human clinical study to test the theory further is expected to take place later this year, and will also look at the effect of lignans on hair loss.
Link: http://www.nutraingredients-usa.com/news/ng.asp?n=60631&m=1NIU614&c=xhmtffoabuqnnyt
High calcium and vitamin D diet may decrease risk of PMS [top]
6/14/2005
-
A diet rich in calcium
and vitamin D may lower the risk of developing premenstrual syndrome
(PMS), a condition that affects up to a fifth of all women, researchers
reported yesterday.
Previous studies have suggested that calcium supplements and vitamin D,
a hormone that regulates the absorption of calcium, may reduce
premenstrual occurrence and severity but it was not clear whether the
mineral-vitamin combination could prevent the condition from developing
in the first place.
While most women experience mild emotional or physical premenstrual symptoms, as many as 8-20 per cent of women experience symptoms severe enough to meet the definition of premenstrual syndrome, which can substantially interfere with daily activities and relationships.
The new trial, carried out by Elizabeth R. Bertone-Johnson of the University of Massachusetts and a co-author from study funder GlaxoSmithKline, suggests that changing the diet could be beneficial for those in this category.
The researchers compared the diets and supplement use of 1,057 women aged 27 to 44 years old who reported developing PMS over the course of 10 years to 1,968 women who reported no diagnosis of PMS or no or minimal premenstrual symptoms in the same time period.
The women, who participated in the Nurses Health Study, all reported no PMS in 1991, at the beginning of the study period.
Their intake of calcium and vitamin D from diet and/or supplements was calculated from food frequency and standard NHS questionnaires administered in 1991, 1995 and 1999.
"We observed a significantly lower risk of developing PMS in women with high intakes of vitamin D and calcium from food sources, equivalent to about four servings per day of skim or low-fat milk, fortified orange juice or low-fat dairy foods such as yoghurt," the authors write in the 13 June issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine (165, pp1246-1252).
Women in the highest quintile of total vitamin D intake – those taking on average 706 IU each day - had a relative risk of 0.59 compared with those consuming only 112 IU per day.
Women consuming the most calcium (on average 1283mg per day) had a 30 per cent lower risk of developing PMS than those with a low intake of 529mg daily.
“While previous studies have observed the benefits of calcium supplements for treating PMS, this is the first, to our knowledge, to suggest that calcium and vitamin D may help prevent the initial development of PMS."
The intake of skim or low-fat milk was also associated with a significantly lower risk.
"Our findings, together with those from several small randomized trials that found calcium supplements to be effective in treating PMS, suggest that a high intake of calcium and vitamin D may reduce the risk of PMS," the authors conclude.
They added that clinical trials are needed before the mineral/vitamin combination can be recommended for this condition. However, given that calcium and vitamin D may also reduce risk of osteoporosis and some cancers, clinicians may consider recommending these nutrients even for younger women, they said.
Low-fat diet could slow breast cancer, new study [top]
7/15/2005
-
Researchers at UCLA
have reported that daily exercise and replacing the typical high-fat
American diet with low-fat, high-fiber foods may slow the growth of
breast cancer cells in postmenopausal women by as much as 19 percent,
writes Jess Halliday.
The latest study, presented this week at the International Research
Conference on Food, Nutrition and Cancer in Washington, DC, builds on
previous evidence that breast cancer risk can be reduced by diet.
Earlier this year UCLA made public the findings of an epidemiological study involving more than 2,400 women with early-stage breast cancer. They were seen to have significantly less chance of their cancer return within five years if they ate a low-fat diet with plenty of fruit and vegetables, compared with eating typical American diet high in fat.
However lead investigator Dr James Barnard, professor of physiological science at UCLA, said that his study is a departure in one key respect:
"This is the first study to my knowledge to show that lifestyle changes can induce apoptosis, or cell death, in breast cancer cells."
Twenty-six postmenopausal women attended a 13-day program at the Pritkin Longevity Center and Spa, during which they adhered to an exercise regime and consumed a low-fat, high-fiber diet rich in fruits, vegetables and whole grains.
The researchers took blood samples at the start and end of the trial, and placed these samples in three different sets of culture dishes, each with a different line of breast cancer cells.
In all three they noted a 20 to 30 percent increase in apoptosis (tumor cell death) when they compared the samples from the start of the trial to those at the end.
They also measured changes in serum estradiol (a form of estrogen), insulin and insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1) – all of which are independent risk factors for breast cancer development. In women taking hormone replacement therapy estradiol levels fell by an average of 34 percent, and in those not taking it by 27 percent. Insulin levels fell by 29 percent and IGF-1 levels by 19 percent in all the women.
Overall Barnard concluded that the combined effect of the two processes resulted in serum changes that slowed the growth of breast cancer cells by as much as 19 percent.
Dr William McCarthy of UCLA's School of Public Health said: "This is exciting research because it shows that women can make changes in a very short period of time that can have a dramatic impact on their health - in this case, on the growth and death of breast cancer cells.”
The US has one of the highest incidences of breast cancer in the world, where it accounted for 41,250 deaths in 2002. The American Cancer Society estimates that in 2005 approximately 211,240 women will be diagnosed with the disease.
In Asian countries such as Japan, where the typical diet contains much less fat and more fresh, high-fiber foods, breast cancer rates are much lower.
But Barnard warned that they may not maintain their advantage for long:
"As Asian countries like Japan are now becoming more Westernized, their breast cancer rates are going up substantially," he said.
Not all research into the link between breast cancer and diet has yielded positive results, however. A large, European-wide study published in JAMA this January concluded that fruit and vegetables do not in fact reduce the risk, despite previous evidence to the contrary.
Nonetheless, the authors wrote: “This does not exclude the possibility that protective effects may be observed for specific nutrients or in specific subgroups of women, such as those with a family history of breast cancer or oestrogen-receptor positive tumours.”
SOY & BLOOD PRESSURE
[top]
Source:
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (81(5):1012-1017.2005)
Eating just 25g of soy protein a day may reduce blood pressure in women, according to research being undertaken in the US and China.
The trial has been set up to assess the effect of protein rich soy foods have over a two to three year period. The research has found that soy intake can reduce both systolic and diastolic blood pressure, particularly in older women.
The research teams measured the usual intake of soy foods of 45,694 participants of the Shanghai Women’s Health Study. Women in the trial were aged 40-70 years old and had no history of hypertension, diabetes, or cardiovascular disease when they commenced the study. Blood pressure levels were then measured two to three years after the first collection of data.
The new data showed that soy protein intake was inversely associated with blood pressure, after taking into account body mass index, diet and lifestyle factors.
The study revealed that for women who ate a minimum of 25g of soy protein each day, the adjusted mean systolic blood pressure was 1.9mm Hg lower and the diastolic BP was 0.9mm Hg lower than in women who ate less than 2.5g of soy protein each day.
Research also revealed that the inverse associations increased with age. In the group of women over 60 years old, the corresponding differences were – 4.9mm Hg for systolic BP and 2.2mm Hg for diastolic BP.
The researchers believe that the isoflavones in soy may increase levels of nitric oxide in the blood, therefore relaxing blood vessels and lowering blood pressure.
http://www.nutraingredients-usa.com/news/news-ng.asp?n=25548-isoflavones-lignans-linked
SOY: MAY REDUCE PROSTATE CANCER
[top]
Source:
International Journal of Cancer (Online
publication)
Regular consumption of foods and beverages containing soy protein may reduce the risk of prostate cancer in men by as much as 30 per cent, according to a study recently published in the e-publication of the International Journal of Cancer.
Conducted by Lin Yan, PhD, Director of Cancer Research for The Solae Company and Edward Spitznagel, PhD, Professor of Mathematics at Washington University, the study is a meta-analysis of eight population studies that examined consumption of soy protein-containing foods in relation to prostate cancer in men.
The five studies were completed in the US, Canada and Asia. The meta-analysis of these studies demonstrated a dramatic 30 per cent reduction in the risk of prostate cancer in men who regularly consumed foods containing soy-protein.
The finding of this study is also consistent with and supported by a cross-national analysis of prostate mortality rate in relation to nutritional factors using data from United Nations sources. In the 42 countries where the appropriate data is available, soy consumption is correlated to a significantly lower mortality rate from prostate cancer.
The protection
from soy is demonstrated to be at least four times greater than from any
other dietary factors that were analysed.
FLAX LIGNANS: CURE FOR HAIR LOSS
[top]
Source:
www.acatris.com
A pilot study carried out by Dutch company Acatris, suggests that taking flax lignans could put an end to baldness.
Jocelyn Mathern, Technical Specialist at Acatris, said that androgenetic alopecia (AGA), the most common from of hair loss, is a hormonal as well as a genetic issue effecting around 50 per cent of men aged 50 years old or older.
“A potent form of the male hormone testosterone, dihydrotestosterone (DHT), can get inside hair follicles and cause them to shrink and produce thinner hair and eventually none at all,” said Mathern.
The main flax lignan, secoisolariciresinol diglucoside (SDG), can help prevent this by inhibiting production of the enzyme that converts testosterone into DHT, called 5-alpha reductase.
The study took place at a health company in Taiwan over a six-month period. Ten male sufferers of androgenetic alopecia aged between 20 and 70 years received a 50mg daily dose of SDG.
The condition of their hair was documented at the beginning of the study by photographs and the men measured their hair loss throughout the period by counting the number of hairs on their pillows each morning.
Initial effects of the flax lignans were noticed on average one to two months into the study. At the end of the period, eight of the participants reported a modest improvement in their hair loss condition, one reported a great improvement and one reported no effect at all. The more severe the participant’s hair loss was at the start of the trial, the more noticeable the improvement. Half the subjects also noted decreased oil secretion in their scalp. No adverse effects were reported.
“This pilot study confirms earlier research on flax lignans with respect to their promise in the care of AGA and without the sometimes harmful effects of a prescription medication,” said Mathern.
Result’s from the
pilot study indicate that Acatris will be sponsoring a clinical trial at
a research centre in Maastricht, The Netherlands, later this year.
SOY MILK: EUROPE'S FASTEST GROWING 'DAIRY'
[top]
Source: Food
Production Daily
Over the last six years soy milk has become Europe’s fastest growing ‘dairy’ sector. Health ‘trends’ such as soy milk, and increased reports of lactose intolerance, are presenting new challenges to dairy organisations.
A new report on the global dairy market from research group Euromonitor says that the value of the soy milk market has more than doubled to ˆ375 million between 1998 and 2004, due to consumer obsessions with health and wellness.
The report says soy milk has benefited from rising consumer awareness that soy is high in fibre, protein and minerals yet low in saturated fat and free from cholesterol. Isoflavins found in soy milk have also been promoted as reducing the risk of many diseases, including breast and prostate cancer, colon disorders, osteoporosis and heart problems.
A growing number of consumers are also turning to soy milk because they are worried about lactose intolerance: where the body doesn’t produce enough lactase enzyme to breakdown the lactose in dairy products. Lactose intolerance symptoms may include bloating, abdominal pains and diarrhoea.
The UK Dairy Council said recently that around 45 per cent of British people (27 million) claimed to be lactose intolerant, yet only two per cent had been clinically diagnosed. The official intolerance figure for Northern Europe and North America is around five percent.
LIGNANS: BENEFITS FOR
BRAIN FUNCTION
[top]
Source:
Journal of Nutrition (135(5):1190-1195.2005)
Consuming lignans could encourage preservation of cognitive function and reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s Disease, according to research being conducted in the Netherlands.
A number of studies over the years have found a link showing diet to be a contributing factor in cognitive decline that may lead to Alzheimer’s Disease.
This research aims to observe how the intake of two phytoestrogens, lignans and isoflavones, in the diet can affect cognitive function in postmenopausal women.
The main sources of lignans in a western diet are from oil-seeds, such as linseed, broccoli and berries. Isoflavones are found in beans, nuts, legumes, soy foods and also in tea and coffee.
The study involved 394 healthy postmenopausal women who had an intact uterus, at least one intact ovary and had not used hormonal replacement therapy since their last menstrual period. Of these women, 196 experienced a natural menopause between 1969 and 1979 and 207 between 1987 and 1989.
Their consumption of phytoestrogens during the year prior to enrollment in the study was estimated by a validated food frequency questionnaire. Cognitive function was assessed by a mini-mental state examination (MMSE), which involved questions and tasks associated with orientation, registration, attention, calculation, recall and language.
As the diagnosis of dementia was not the aim of the study, the cut-off score for intact cognitive function was relatively high – 26 or more out of a possible 30. After adjustment for confounders, women who consumed higher levels of lignans performed better in the MMSE, and the results were more pronounced amongst the women who experienced menopause between 1969 and 1979.
The scope of this study did not extend to establishing a reason for this finding but suggested that it may be linked to some other age-related mechanism.
"An alternative explanation is that the protective effect of endogenous estrogens on the nervous system is dependent on cumulative time of exposure rather than on actual levels of intake," the researchers said.
FLAXSEED: A MUFFIN A DAY...
[top]
Source:
Clinical Cancer Research
(2005) May:15;11(10):3828-35
One flaxseed muffin a day for 30 days could destroy up to 31% of breast cancer cells in newly diagnosed women, according to recent research.
The role of flax lignans as a treatment for cancer has been studied in cell cultures and animals for many years, but they had not been tested people diagnosed with cancer.
Canadian researchers enrolled women who had been newly diagnosed with breast cancer as volunteers to study the effects of flaxseed on breast cancer progression. One flaxseed muffin a day, containing a predetermined concentration of pre-lignans, was consumed each day for 30 days. The results showed that flaxseed pre-lignans, converted in the intestines by bacteria into anti-cancer lignans, were effective in destroying the breast cancer cells.
The growth index in the cancer cells was reduced 34.2 per cent, while the level of programmed cell death increased to 30.7 per cent.
According to Dr Stephen Martin, Chief Scientist of Grouppe Kurosawa, said that data like this had never been reported before.
"This study is critically important not only for breast cancer patients, but for all cancer patients because lignans kill many kinds of cancers, including the presently incurable melanoma. With the exception of palmitic acid, the common saturated fatty acid, specific foods do not normally have the ability to kill cancer cells. We are only talking a muffin a day. What if we ate two?" said Dr Martin.
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