Pharmaceutical Sciences Faculty Publications
Soy Intake is Associated With Increased 2-Hydroxylation and Decreased 16alpha-Hydroxylation of Estrogens in Asian-American Women
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
10-1-2009
Journal Title
Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention
ISSN
1538-7755
Volume
18
Issue
10
First Page
2751
Last Page
2760
DOI
10.1158/1055-9965.EPI-09-0388
PubMed ID
19789363
PubMed Central® ID
PMC2759852
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: In Asian and Asian-American women, soy consumption is associated with reduced breast cancer risk, perhaps due to its effects on estrogen production or metabolism. In a sample of Asian-American women, we investigated the associations of usual adult soy intake with the urinary concentrations of 15 estrogens and estrogen metabolites (EM) measured using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.
METHODS: Participants included 430 Chinese-American, Japanese-American, and Filipino-American women, ages 20 to 55 years, and living in San Francisco-Oakland (California), Los Angeles (California), or Oahu (Hawaii). They were postmenopausal (n = 167) or premenopausal in luteal phase (n = 263) when 12-hour urine samples were collected. Robust linear regression was used to assess soy tertiles as predictors of log-transformed EM measures. Individual and grouped EM were considered as concentrations (pmol/mg creatinine) and as percentages of total EM (%EM).
RESULTS: Factor analysis confirmed that EM groups defined by metabolic pathways appropriately captured covariation in EM profiles. Total EM concentrations were not significantly associated with soy in premenopausal or postmenopausal women. Among all women, %2-hydroxylated EM and %4-hydroxylation pathway EM were 16% higher (P(trend) = 0.02) and 19% higher (P(trend) = 0.03) in the highest versus lowest soy tertiles, respectively. In contrast, 16% hydroxylated EM were 11% lower (P(trend) < 0.01). Results were consistent across ethnic and menopausal groups and after adjustment for westernization measured by birthplace (Asia or United States).
DISCUSSION: Findings suggest that regular soy intake is associated with increased ratios of 2:16-pathway EM and with higher relative levels of 4-hydroxylated EM. The observed variations in estrogen metabolism might modify breast cancer risk.
Keywords
Asian Americans, breast neoplasms, estrogens, hydroxylation, mass spectrometry, soy foods
Recommended Citation
Fuhrman, Barbara J.; Pfeiffer, Ruth; Xu, Xia; Wu, Anna H.; Korde, Larissa; Gail, Mitchell H.; Keefer, Larry K.; Veenstra, Timothy D.; Hoover, Robert N.; and Ziegler, Regina G., "Soy Intake is Associated With Increased 2-Hydroxylation and Decreased 16alpha-Hydroxylation of Estrogens in Asian-American Women" (2009). Pharmaceutical Sciences Faculty Publications. 292.
https://digitalcommons.cedarville.edu/pharmaceutical_sciences_publications/292