Phytoestrogens are plant-based estrogens that can affect human physiology. Their role in health is dynamic and is often described as adaptogenic. An herb or food with adaptogenic qualities enables it to balance very opposite extremes. Namely, a woman with low estrogen production will favor phytoestrogens for their estrogen-like action. On the other hand, a 1999 "European Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Reproductive Biology" notes that phytoestrogens can be used to antagonize the overwhelming effect of estrogen abundance. Soy, flaxseeds, berries and pomegranate are rich sources of plant-based estrogens.
Soy
Soy, short for the soya bean, is a legume native to the Asian continent. It is rich in the phytoestrogens, genistein and diadzein. Soy is available in many different forms, including as a milk-like substance expressed from the soaking and pressing of the bean. It is also commonly available in compressed blocks of the soaked legume known as tofu. Soy can also be fermented, which is believed to increase its nutritive value. This highly digestible form can be found as tempeh and miso. A 1997 article in the journal "Menopause" notes that an intake of soy-based isoflavones, amounting to 25 percent of total caloric intake for a period of 12 weeks, eased menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes and vaginal dryness.
Pomegranate
Pomegranate is a super-fruit known for its high antioxidant status and also as a fruit of fertility. A 2002 "Journal of the National Cancer Institute" defines this powerhouse fruit as the only plant in nature known to contain the human hormone, estrone. Estrone is a close relative to estrogen, except with a weaker potency. Phytoestrogens, sourced from plants, are even weaker than estrones. They are not true estrogens, but are similar enough in structure to bind to estrogen receptors and yield an effect. The three major classes of phytoestrogens are isoflavones, coumestrols and lignans. Pomegranate contains both isoflavones, in the form of genistein as well as coumestrols.
Berries
Berries are some of nature's sweetest and most potent treasures of the diet. Their inclusion in the diet is advocated for halting and potentially reversing many underlying disease processes. Research published in 2000 in the "British Journal of Nutrition" studied nine berries to determine how effectual they were at raising urinary levels of enterolactone, a derivative of the lignan type of phytoestrogens. Strawberries, having a high lignan content, were tested in a small group of males and females, and were concluded to significantly raise both blood and urinary levels of phytoestrogens after isolated consumption.
Flaxseeds
Flaxseeds are probably second only to soy in how fervently they have been studied for their phytoestrogen content and effects. The primary phytoestrogen in flaxseed are the lignans. The 1999 "European Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Reproductive Biology" described both flaxseeds and soy as natural selective estrogen receptor modulators, a well-known class of pharmaceuticals used to treat some hormonal cancers. The potential benefits of flaxseeds on menopausal symptoms were noted as well as their potential to positively affect some hormonal cancers, osteoporosis and blood lipid and cholesterol profiles.
References
- "European Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology and Reproductive Biology"; "Phytoestrogens: the natural selective estrogen receptor modulators"
- "Menopause"; Short-term Effects of Phytoestrogen-rich Diet on Postmenopausal Women"
- "British Journal of Nutrition"; "Phyto-oestrogen content of berries, and plasma concentrations and urinary excretion of enterolactone after a single strawberry-meal in human subjects"
- "Journal of the National Cancer Institute"; "The Pomegranate: Nature's Power Fruit?"
Member Comments