Intake of Dietary Phytoestrogens Is Low in Postmenopausal Women in the United States: The Framingham Study Miriam J. J. de Kleijn, Yvonne T. van der Schouw5, Peter W. F. Wilson*, Herman Adlercreutz, Witold Mazur, Diederick E. Grobbee and Paul F. Jacques** Julius Center for Patient Oriented Research, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands; * The Framingham Heart Study, Boston University School of Medicine, Boston, MA; Department of Clinical Chemistry, University of Helsinki and Folkhälsan Research Center, Helsinki, Finland; and ** Jean Mayer U.S. Department of Agriculture Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University, Boston, MA To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: y.t.vanderschouw@jc.azu.nl. Many plants that are consumed contain phytoestrogens. Only a few published studies have examined the dietary intake of phytoestrogens in the general Western population. The potentially positive health effects of phytoestrogens might be of relevance to postmenopausal women. The aim of the present study was to estimate the intake of dietary isoflavones, coumestans and lignans by healthy Western postmenopausal women. For this purpose, we studied 964 postmenopausal, Caucasian women who participated in the Framingham Offspring Study and completed the Willett food-frequency questionnaire (FFQ). By searching the medical and agricultural literature and contacting experts, we identified food sources of phytoestrogens. The concentrations of the different isoflavones, coumestrol and lignans in each food in the FFQ were scored in seven categories and multiplied by the serving size of the food and the frequency of its consumption. The estimated daily median intake of the isoflavone daidzein was 39 µg (24–57 µg); of genistein, 70 µg (28–120 µg); of formononetin, 31 µg (13–44 µg); and of biochanin A, 6 µg (2–11 µg). Median total intake of isoflavones was 154 µg (99–235 µg). The main sources of isoflavones were beans and peas. The estimated daily intake of coumestans was 0.6 µg (0.2–1.7 µg), with broccoli as the main source. The estimated daily median intake of matairesinol was 19 µg (12–28 µg) and of secoisolariciresinol 560 µg (399–778 µg). The median total intake of lignans was 578 µg (416–796 µg). The main source of the lignans was fruits. The daily dietary intake of phytoestrogens in healthy postmenopausal Caucasian women in the United States is <1 mg. Am J Epidemiol 2001 Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, 9/02 Remember we are NOT Doctors and have NO medical training. This site is like an Encylopedia - there are many pages, many links on many topics. Support our work with any size DONATION - see left side of any page - for how to donate. You can help raise awareness of CAM.