Food & Function Blog

Diets rich in soy protein and soy peptides are reported to be beneficial for weight loss, improved insulin resistance and endothelial function, and reduced blood pressure and blood lipid levels. This artice, recently published in Food & Function from a team in Korea is the first to show the beneficial effects of black soy protein in people maintaining a normal lifestyle.

In this double-blind human trial, participants in the test group were given 4.5 g of black soy protein a day for 12 weeks. It was found that after 12 weeks of supplementation the test group had significant reductions in weight, BMI and body fat mass compared to the placebo group which presented no change. Even after only 6 weeks, the test group showed significant reduction in both BMI and body weight. Additionally, it was revealed that leptin levels were significantly reduced in the test group. This association between leptin and black soy intake could help explain the observed weight-loss activity, as leptin is a vital hormone linked to obesity which regulates energy intake, expenditure, appetite and metabolism.

To read the full paper for free, please click on the link below:

Weight reduction effects of a black soy peptide supplement in overweight and obese subjects: double blind, randomized, controlled study, Jung Hyun Kwak, Chang-Won Ahn, Soo-Hyun Park, Sung-Ug Jung, Byung-Jung Min, Oh Yoen Kim and Jong Ho Lee, Food Funct., 2012, DOI: 10.1039/c2fo10244g

You may also be interested in this Food & Function article which is free to access:

A comparison of satiety, glycemic index, and insulinemic index of wheat-derived soft pretzels with or without soy, Amber L. Simmons, Carla K. Miller, Steven K. Clinton and Yael Vodovotz, Food Funct., 2011,2, 678-683

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Low vitamin D status has been suggested to contribute to the development of several chronic diseases. However, controlled studies have ruled out any link between vitamin D insufficiency and conditions such as arterial hypertension, multiple sclerosis or metabolic disorders. The uncertainty about the actual role of vitamin D in the pathogenesis of chronic diseases has increased recently as  conditions such as chronic pain and  gastrointestinal dysfunction were suggested to be linked to vitamin D deficiency. The belief that many of these diseases could be prevented or cured by vitamin D has created a hype about the beneficial effects of supplemental vitamin D. However, in reality, high doses of vitamin D can cause serious health problems because of the U-shaped dose–response relationships.

In this review, Meinrad Peterlik from Medical University of Vienna, Austria, summarizes the evidence surrounding the link between intake of vitamin D and chronic diseases. While many people praise vitamin D as a remedy for many diseases, sceptics say that vitamin D could only be useful for the prevention of osteoporosis. He summarises that the truth may lie in between these extremes as there is evidence from clinical studies indicating that vitamin D in combination with calcium could also protect from other diseases such as colorectal and breast cancer, and cardiovascular disease.

To read the review in full for free until , please click the link below:

Vitamin D insufficiency and chronic diseases: hype and reality, M. Peterlik, Food Funct., 2012, DOI: 10.1039/c2fo10262e

You may also be interested in the article below, also free until

Stability and bioavailability of vitamin D nanoencapsulated in casein micelles, Michal Haham, Sophia Ish-Shalom, Marina Nodelman, Irit Duek, Elena Segal, Marina Kustanovich and Yoav D. Livne, Food Funct., 2012, DOI: 10.1039/C2FO10249H

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Isoflavonoids are a class of secondary metabolites mainly found in Leguminosae (also known as the legume, pea or bean family). Many isoflavanoids can bind the human estrogen receptor so have been termed phytoestrogens.  Dietary intake of phytoestrogens has been associated with positive effects on menopausal complaints, hormone-related cancers and osteoporosis.  The prenylation of some isoflavonoids results in tissue-specific activity much like selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMS) and they may have potential in food or pharma applications.

This review from Jean-Paul Vincken and co-workers in the Netherlands gives, for the first time, a detailed overview of the effect of isofavonoid structural features and the position and extent of their prenylation on thir estrogenic activity, demonstrating that anti-estrogenic and SERM activity of isoflavonoids was always associated with prenylation. Data on dietary occurrence, bioavailability and metabolism of prenylated isoflavonoids is also presented.

Read the full article for free until 11^th July by clicking on the title below:

Prenylated isoflavonoids from plants as selective estrogen receptor modulators (phytoSERMs)
Rudy Simons, Harry Gruppen, Toine F. H. Bovee, Marian A. Verbruggen and Jean-Paul Vincken
Food Funct., 2012, Advance Article, DOI: 10.1039/C2FO10290K

You may also be interested in this Food & Function article which is also free to acces!

The metabolism and analysis of isoflavones and other dietary polyphenols in foods and biological systems
Stephen Barnes, Jeevan Prasain, Tracy D’Alessandro, Ali Arabshahi, Nigel Botting, Mary Ann Lila, George Jackson, Elsa M. Janle and Connie M. Weaver
Food Funct., 2011,2, 235-244, DOI: 10.1039/C1FO10025D

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