Food matrix and isoflavones bioavailability in early post menopausal women: An European clinical study

Brigitte Chanteranne^1,2, Francesco Branca³, A Kaardinal⁴, K Wahala⁵, Véronique Braesco⁶, Philippe Ladroite⁷, Fred Brouns⁸, Véronique Coxam^1,2

¹INRA, Centre Clermont-Ferrand – Theix, UMR1019, Unité Nutrition Humaine, St Genès Champanelle, France; ²Univ Clermont 1, UFR Médecine, UMR1019, Unité Nutrition Humaine, Clermont-Ferrand, France; ³INRAN, Human Nutrition Unit, Ardeatina, Rome, Italy; ⁴TNO Nutrition and Food Research, Zeist, The Netherlands; ⁵Department of Chemistry, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland; ⁶Danone Vitapole, Le Plessis Robinson, France; ⁷Nutrition Santé, Ravel, France; ⁸Eridania Beghin Say, Vilvoorde Research and Development Centre, Vilvoorde, Belgium

Abstract: The estrogenic effects of soy isoflavones (IF) on symptoms of menopause are of particular interest. The aim of the present study was to improve compliance of IF in two IF-enriched foods providing the same IF circulating levels in postmenopausal women. Forty-two healthy postmenopausal women (mean age: 53.28 years) were recruited for a randomized, crossover, multicenter trial conducted in the Netherlands, Italy and France. Over 18 days, volunteers were assigned to two groups and supplemented with two different IF-enriched foods (100 mg IF aglycones/two servings). The first group had to eat two biscuits daily for three days. After a wash-out period (11 d), they received cereal bars for three days. The second group started with the cereal bars and finished with biscuits. After IF intake, plasma and urinary levels of genistein, daidzein, O desmethyl angolensin and equol significantly increased and returned to baseline level after the washout period. There was no difference between biscuits and cereals bars intake, as shown by group values at each end of experimental period (day 4 or day 18). Both matrixes are comparable in terms of IF-circulating levels and could be used independently.

Keywords: soy isoflavones, bioavailability, food processing, postmenopausal women, equol