Phytoestrogens - Friends or Foes
Jan 1st, 2008 by Axel
Phytoestrogens are plant chemicals that may act as fungicides, deter herbivores, regulate plant hormones, and protect plants against ultraviolet radiation. Structurally, some phytoestrogens resemble endogenous estrogens of humans and animals, and recent research suggests they may also function as estrogen agonists or antagonists when eaten by humans. Although humans have used phytoestrogens medicinally for thousands of years, only in the last 15 years or so have researchers begun to look beyond the folk remedies to investigate phytoestrogens’ possible roles in modern health care. Although the popular media has at times heralded phytoestrogens as panaceas, medical data remain inconclusive. Still, recent epidemiological studies and experiments with animals suggest many varied benefits of phytoestrogens. “Although much indepth research has been done to identify and characterize the pharmacokinetics of certain phytoestrogens, the whole area of using phytoestrogens for medicinal purposes remains wide open,” says Retha Newbold, a research biologist in the NIEHS Reproductive Toxicology Group.
EHP 104(5) Focus
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