- 期刊
- OpenAccess
植物性雌激素與停經前婦女保健
Health Benefits of Phytoestrogens in Premenopausal Women
摘要
本文介紹植物性雌激素來源與其活性，並針對其中攝取量較大的異黃酮、lignan和indole-3-carbinol，回顧其使用於停經前婦女的臨床研究。研究結果顯示植物性雌激素對停經前婦女具抗雌激素效果，如降低血液雌激素與雌激素刺激素濃度，延長月經週期，使雌激素代謝途徑趨向產生活性較低的代謝產物等，這些影響可能足以印證流行病學研究發現有關植物性雌激素可降低乳癌發生率之假說。除此之外，植物性雌激素雖會拮抗停經前婦女雌激素活性，仍然保有降低血膽固醇的能力，其降幅平均約為10%。雖然植物性雌激素的生化作用與動物性雌激素略有不同，但其雌激素的特質對乳房可能仍有刺激作用，故不鼓勵停經前婦女大量服濃縮植物性雌激素商品，建議由天然食物如豆製品、胡麻子及十字花科蔬菜中攝取有效劑量，以達到保健的目的。
並列摘要
The sources and potencies of phytoestrogens are described, and recent clinical evidence about the health benefits of phytoestrogens in premenopausal women is reviewed in this article. Isoflavones, lignans, and indole-3-carbinol are the focus of interest as they are consumed in large amounts in daily life. Evidence indicates that the antiestrogenic properties of phytoestrogens, such as decreasing the concentrations of serum sex hormones and their stimulating hormones, extending the length of the menstrual cycle, and shifting the metabolic pathway of estrogen to less genotoxic products might confer anti-breast cancer effect which has been proposed by some epidemiological studies. Phytoestrogens with antiestrogenic properties have also been shown to decrease plasma cholesterol levels by approximately 10% in premenopausal women. Because phytoestrogens demonstrate weak estrogenic activity on the breasts, it is not recommended to take phytoestrogens in a concentrated form. Instead, it is suggested to increase the intake of soy products, flaxseed, and cruciferous vegetables to reach effective amounts in premenopausal women.