Lignans

Indication:

Breast health

Source:

Eur J Cancer Prev, June 2006;15(3):225-232.

Research:

In this study, researchers measured enterolactone (the bioactive lignan metabolite in humans) and genistein levels in 220 premenopausal women and 237 age-matched controls.

Results:

The median levels of plasma enterolactone in the case group were 6.3 nmol/l, compared to 9.7 nmol/l in the control group, while median genistein levels were a respective 4.5 and 3.7 nmol/l. The researchers noted a decrease in pre-menopausal breast cancer risk in tandem with increased concentrations of plasma enterolactone. There was no such significant association noted with genistein, and the study authors concluded that using biomarkers of phytoestrogen intake, we confirmed the strong inverse association between enterolactone and premenopausal breast cancer risk as found with dietary intake estimates. This result gives support to the potential role of mammalian lignans for breast cancer prevention among premenopausal women in Western populations.