Plasma enterolactone and risk of prostate cancer in middle-aged Swedish men.

Purpose: Enterolactone (ENL) is formed in the human gut after consumption of lignans, has estrogenic properties, and has been associated with risk of prostate cancer. We examined the association between plasma ENL levels and prostate cancer in a nested case-control study within the population-based Malmö Diet and Cancer cohort. We also examined the association between plasma ENL and dietary and lifestyle factors.

Absorption of plant lignans from cereals in an experimental pig model.

Plant lignans are diphenolic compounds ingested with whole grains and seeds and converted to enterolignans by the colonic microbiota. In the present study, we investigated absorption and metabolism of plant lignans and enterolignans in vivo after consumption of cereal-based diets. Six pigs fitted with catheters in the mesenteric artery and portal vein and with a flow probe attached to the portal vein along with twenty pigs for quantitative collection of urine were used for this study.

Longitudinal biobanks-based study on the joint effects of infections, nutrition and hormones on risk of prostate cancer.

Background To evaluate the individual and combined effects of enterolactone, vitamin D, free testosterone, Chlamydia trachomatis and HPV-18 on the risk of prostate cancer in a large population-based biochemical material that combined three Nordic serum sample banks. Material and methods A joint cohort of 209 000 healthy men was followed using cancer registry linkages. From this cohort altogether 699 incident cases of prostate cancer were identified.

Alkylresorcinol metabolites in urine and plasma as potential biomarkers of rye and wheat fiber consumption in prostate cancer patients and controls.

Alkylresorcinols (ARs) are phytochemicals mainly associated with rye/wheat bran. Plasma ARs and their plasma and urine metabolites are considered as biomarkers for whole-grain rye/wheat intake. However ARs metabolite day and night variations have not been studied in prostate cancer patients yet.

Effects of consumption of whole grain foods rich in lignans in healthy postmenopausal women with moderate serum cholesterol: a pilot study.

This study aims at investigating the effect of an experimental period of intake of whole grain foods rich in lignans as part of an habitual diet on the plasma and urinary excretion of enterolignans, the biomarkers of lipid metabolism and the immunological and antioxidant status in a group of postmenopausal women with moderate serum cholesterol. A randomized double-blind crossover study was completed on 13 subjects in 12-weeks after protocol approval of an ethical committee. The subjects consumed whole grain foods high in lignans (30 g/d of breakfast cereals or biscuits, etc.

Plasma alkylresorcinol metabolites as biomarkers for whole-grain intake and their association with prostate cancer: a Swedish nested case-control study.

Background: Observational studies have mostly found no association between self-reported whole-grain intake and prostate cancer. Plasma alkylresorcinol metabolites have been suggested as biomarkers for whole-grain intake in free-living populations.

Methods: We investigated the major dietary and lifestyle determinants of plasma alkylresorcinol metabolites in a nested case-control study (1,016 cases and 1,817 controls) in the Malmö Diet and Cancer Study.

Low serum enterolactone concentration is associated with low colonic Lactobacillus-Enterococcus counts in men but is not affected by a synbiotic mixture in a randomised, placebo-controlled, double-blind, cross-over intervention study.

The aims of the present study were to assess the possible differences in faecal microbiota between men with a low serum enterolactone concentration and those with a high concentration, and to investigate the impact of a synbiotic mixture on serum enterolactone concentration in men with a low concentration. We compared faecal microbiota between ten men with the lowest serum enterolactone concentration and ten men with the highest concentration at recruitment (n 84). Furthermore, we carried out a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, cross-over intervention study (6-week intervention periods and 4-week washout period) to investigate the impact of a synbiotic mixture (two Lactobacillus strains, one Bifidobacterium strain, one Propionibacterium strain and galacto-oligosaccharides (32 g/l)) on serum enterolactone concentration in fifty-two men who had a concentration < 20 nmol/l.

Dietary intake and major sources of plant lignans in Latvian men and women.

Higher intake of lignans, diphenolic plant compounds, may reduce the risk of certain types of cancer and cardiovascular diseases. We assessed the dietary intake of four lignans: matairesinol, secoisolariciresinol, lariciresinol and pinoresinol. Furthermore, for the breads we supplemented the data with two more lignans: syringaresinol and medioresinol.

Validation of FFQ-based assessment of dietary lignans compared with serum enterolactone in Swedish women.

The validity of using FFQ to assess dietary lignans is uncertain. We aimed to validate the use of FFQ for the assessment of dietary intake of lignans compared to the serum biomarker enterolactone, the main product of dietary lignans' metabolism in human subjects. A random sample of women, aged 55-75 years, from the Swedish Mammography Cohort was selected.

Synergistic effect of isoflavone glycosides and fructooligosaccharides on postgastrectomy osteopenia in rats.

Fructooligosaccharides stimulate the growth of Bifidobacteria, which cleave isoflavone glycosides to yield corresponding aglycones, and convert metabolites by enhancing enterohepatic recirculation of isoflavones in rats. In the present study, we determined the synergistic effect of dietary isoflavone glycosides and fructooligosaccharides on postgastrectomy osteopenia in rats. Nine-week-old male Sprague-Dawley rats were gastrectomized (n = 20) or sham operated, (control, n = 5) and then randomly assigned to 5 diet groups: sham-a purified diet control, gastrectomized-control, gastrectomized-isoflavone (0.

Alkylresorcinols in Latvian and Finnish breads.

The alkylresorcinol (AR) content and relative homologue composition were determined in 9 Latvian and 11 Finnish soft breads. ARs were extracted with hot 1-propanol and quantified, using a gas chromatography-mass spectrometry method. The total AR content (μg/g dry matter) varied from 560 to 840 in rye breads, from 500 to 700 in Finnish mixed rye and wheat flour breads, from 200 to 300 in Latvian mixed rye and wheat flour breads and from 25 to 30 in white wheat breads.

Comparative activities of the S-enantiomer and racemic forms of equol on bone fragility in ovariectomized mice.

We compared the effects of the S-enantiomer and racemic forms of equol on bone using ovariectomized (OVX) mice. Femoral bone mineral density and bone strength decreased in the OVX mice, but not in OVX mice administered 0.5 mg/d S-equol.

The isoflavone metabolite 6-methoxyequol inhibits angiogenesis and suppresses tumor growth.

Background: Increased consumption of plant-based diets has been linked to the presence of certain phytochemicals, including polyphenols such as flavonoids. Several of these compounds exert their protective effect via inhibition of tumor angiogenesis. Identification of additional phytochemicals with potential antiangiogenic activity is important not only for understanding the mechanism of the preventive effect, but also for developing novel therapeutic interventions.

Rye bread intake improves oxidation resistance of LDL in healthy humans.

Background: Oxidatively modified LDL particles contribute to atherogenic development and therefore dietary interventions for promoting oxidation resistance of LDL are of interest. The capacity of LDL to resist oxidation can be determined ex vivo by exposing isolated LDL particles to copper ions and measuring the formation of conjugated dienes by spectrophotometry.

Objective: The aim of this trial was to determine the effect of none versus high intake of rye bread on the oxidation resistance of LDL in healthy humans while otherwise on habitual diet.

Dietary alkylresorcinols and lignans in the Spanish diet: development of the alignia database.

The intake of alkylresorcinols and lignans in Spain is unknown due to the lack of information on the content of these compounds in particular foods. This paper describes the development of the first alkylresorcinol and lignan database adapted to the Spanish diet, including foods items especially relevant for this population. The values of alkylresorcinols and lignans in common foods and beverages were collected from scientific publications in refereed journals, and other foods particularly consumed in Spain, for which values were not available, were analyzed by standardized protocols and included into the database.

Are there endogenous estrone fatty acyl esters in human plasma or ovarian follicular fluid?

Background: Estrone and its sulfated esters are the most abundant estrogens in blood in men and in women after the menopause. However, previous studies on the esterification of estrone with fatty acids have yielded conflicting results, some studies reporting high nanomolar concentrations of estrone fatty acyl esters in plasma.

Methods: We developed an estrone radioimmunoassay (RIA) method to determine endogenous concentrations of estrone and after saponification, applied it to male and female plasma.

Relationship between essential amino acids and muscle mass, independent of habitual diets, in pre- and post-menopausal US women.

The purpose of this secondary analysis was to examine the relationship between protein and essential amino acids (EAAs) intake with the level of muscle mass (MM) independent of the diet. Twenty-one omnivores, 22 ovo-lacto-vegetarians and 20 vegans were recruited. MM (urinary creatinine), dietary intake (5-day dietary records) and biochemical analyses (urinary and plasma sex hormones) were obtained.

Diets and hormonal levels in postmenopausal women with or without breast cancer.

The role of diet in breast cancer (BC) risk is unclear. Fiber could reduce BC risk, through the enterohepatic circulation of estrogens. We examined the relationship between diet and sex hormones in postmenopausal women with or without BC.

Pharmacokinetics of alkylresorcinol metabolites in human urine.

Wholegrain cereals are reported to promote beneficial health effects. Wholegrain wheat and rye are almost exclusive sources of alkylresorcinols, and intact alkylresorcinols together with their plasma and urinary metabolites, 3-(3,5-dihydroxyphenyl)-1-propanoic acid (DHPPA) and 3,5-dihydroxybenzoic acid (DHBA), have been proposed as biomarkers of the intake of these foods in humans. The pharmacokinetics of alkylresorcinols and their metabolites in plasma have been determined but not that of the urinary metabolites.

A probiotic mixture including galactooligosaccharides decreases fecal β-glucosidase activity but does not affect serum enterolactone concentration in men during a two-week intervention.

A high serum concentration of enterolactone, an enterolignan produced by colonic microbiota from precursors in cereals, vegetables, and fruits, is associated with reduced risk of acute coronary events. Probiotics and prebiotics modify colonic metabolism and may affect the serum enterolactone concentration. The effects of a probiotic mixture alone and with galactooligosaccharides (GOS) on serum enterolactone concentration and fecal metabolism were investigated in 18 healthy men.

Quantitative determination of dehydroepiandrosterone fatty acyl esters in human female adipose tissue and serum using mass spectrometric methods.

Dehydroepiandrosterone-fatty acyl esters (DHEA-FAE) are naturally occurring water-insoluble metabolites of DHEA, which are transported in plasma exclusively by lipoproteins. To find out whether DHEA, like estradiol, might be stored in adipose tissue in FAE form, we set up a mass spectrometric method to quantify DHEA-FAE and free DHEA in human adipose tissue and serum. The method consists of chromatographic purification steps and final determination of hydrolyzed DHEA-FAE and free DHEA, which was carried out by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) or liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS).

Can rye intake decrease risk of human breast cancer?

Background: Rye contains more fibre and bioactive compounds than other cereals used for bread production. The fibre and compounds of the fibre complex could provide protection against breast cancer (BC).

Objective: To review the evidence and theoretical background for a role of rye and some of its components in the prevention of BC.

The effect of high-fiber rye bread enriched with nonesterified plant sterols on major serum lipids and apolipoproteins in normocholesterolemic individuals.

Background And Aims: Plant sterols are naturally occurring cholesterol-lowering compounds which are industrially incorporated in various foods. A novel food carrier is rye bread, the intake of which can be monitored in trials utilizing newly defined plasma biomarkers. Our aim was to determine the effects of plant sterols incorporated into high-fiber rye bread on serum total and LDL cholesterol, apoB/apoA1 and total cholesterol/HDL cholesterol ratios and lipophilic (pro)vitamins in healthy free-living normocholesterolemic individuals.

Dietary phytoestrogens and the risk of ovarian cancer in the women's lifestyle and health cohort study.

Background: Dietary intake of phytoestrogens has been inversely associated to hormone-dependent cancers, such as prostate and breast cancers. Few studies have investigated the association between ovarian cancer and intake of phytoestrogens. We evaluated the associations between intake of phytoestrogens (isoflavonoids/lignans/coumestrol) and fiber (vegetable/cereal) and risk of ovarian cancer.

Transcriptional activity of estrogen-related receptor γ (ERRγ) is stimulated by the phytoestrogen equol.

Estrogen-related receptor γ (ERRγ) is an orphan nuclear receptor lacking identified natural ligands. The synthetic estrogen receptor ligands 4-hydroxytamoxifen and diethylstilbestrol have, however, been shown to bind to and abolish the constitutive transcriptional activity of ERRγ. Certain phytoestrogens were recently reported to act as agonists of the related ERRα.