Isoflavones bioavailability/metabolism

The mucosa of the GIT represents an interface between the external and internal environments. The expansive surface area is necessary for the efficient hydrolysis of foodstuffs and the absorption of energy and nutrients. The mucosa also influences the systemic availability of non-nutrient compounds in the diet, both beneficial and detrimental. Digestion and absorption of glucosinolates are critical determinants of health benefits (see Chapter 4) Similarly, the bioavailability and health benefits of phytoestrogens, such as genistein (see Chapters 5 and 10) are at least partly dependent on the carrier-mediated processes of absorption associated with the GIT (Oitate et al, 2001). Moreover, the metabolic activities of the mucosa can influence the systemic concentrations and forms of dietary phytochemicals, as exemplified by research with soy isoflavones (Andlauer et al., 2000). 

Setchell, K.D., Brown, N.M., Zimmer-Nechemias, L., et al. (2002a). Evidence for lack of absorption of soy isoflavone glycosides in humans, supporting the crucial role of intestinal metabolism for bioavailability. Am. J. Clin. Nutr., 2, 447-53. 

The metabolism and bioavailability of isoflavonoids is likely to be of crucial importance to their ability to help protect human health against disease. Many studies have been published on the metabolism and bioavailability of isoflavones in adults. The metabolism of isoflavones is of particular interest because the potency of isoflavone metabolites differs from that of the parent compounds. The daidzein metabolite equol is three times as potent as is daidzein in an endometrial tumor line. Equol is also a more potent antioxidant in vitro (see Sections 7.3.5 and 7.4.2) ° and the clinical significance of the ability to form equol has been considered in depth. ... 

Intestinal microflora plays a key role in the metabolism and bioavailibility of isoflavones [86]. After ingestion, soybean isoflavones are hydrolyzed by intestinal glucosidases, which release the aglycones, daidzein and genistein, Fig. (16). 

The basis for understanding the health benefits of isoflavones requires detailed knowledge on the absorption, distribution, metabolism, elimination, and bioavailability of these phytoestrogens that demands robust, precise, accurate, and affordable analyses from biological and other matrices. 

In that context, the present chapter gives insights into the relevance of phenolic compounds in human nutrition. We will primarily discuss bioavailability and biological properties of isoflavones and lignans in the context of human health and disease, our main focus being the metabolic activities of intestinal bacteria. 

Fig. 78.1 Phenolics in human nutrition A microbiological perspective. Bioavailability of dietary compounds depends on the sum of molecular mechanisms underlying liberation of the compounds from dietary matrices, absorption, distribution into body tissues via blood circulation, metabolism (in the GI tract or target tissues), and elimination from the body. The keypad shows parameters of relevance to phenolic bioavailability. The two enlarged windows illustrate the diversity of both phenolics in food and microbial functions involved in phenolic conversion, with a focus on isoflavones and hgnans. Estimates of blood concentration of daidzein, equol, and enterolignans are...

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