Pages: 14-19

Abstract

Soy and red-clover isoflavones are mostly consumed in diet as it is present within it, or as a dietary supplement due to a huge range of presumed health benefits. These isoflavones are thought to protect against heart diseases and cancerous diseases like breast and other types of cancer. Isoflavones are structurally similar to estrogens that’s why may act as estrogen agonists or antagonists by binding to estrogen receptors. In the present time increased use of isoflavones in processed foods and dietary supplements as well as the greater consumption of soy products, dietary intakes of isoflavones are increasing among children and adolescents. In numerous hormone related cancers including breast cancer estrogens are a known component causing cancer. Keeping these facts in mind we reviewed the existing epidemiological and experimental animal studies for a resolution to a proposed correlation between increased isoflavone consumption and breast cancer. The soybean isoflavones having antioxidant activities, may contribute to their potential role in reducing the formation of certain types of cancers, that’s why daidzein, a soybean isoflavone might be a more appropriate cancer preventive neutraceutical because of its lower cytotoxicity. Isoflavones are weak estrogens and their effect is controlled by several factors like dose, time of exposure and species involved. It would, therefore, not be safe to indisputably accept soy or red-clover as a source of isoflavone resource to prevent breast cancer.