ABSTRACT
Introduction 327
Isoflavones 329
Isoflavones and Breast Cancer 329
Isoflavones and Prostate Cancer 332
Isoflavones and Colon Cancer 334
Isoflavones and Cancer-An Overview and the Future 335
References 336
INTRODUCTION
The incidence and mortality rates of several hormonally related tumors, including
breast, prostate, and colon cancer, have until recently been considered low in
Asian countries like China, Japan, and Indonesia when compared with western
countries (1). Additionally, cancer rates appear to differ between westernized
countries. For example, Italy and Finland have substantially lower rates than
other western countries. A number of studies have concluded that lifestyle and
dietary factors may be important in explaining these differences in incidence
rate. Asian diets, which are mainly vegetarian or semivegetarian, differ markedly
from western diets, which are rich in animal proteins and fats. This may affect
cancer incidence in a number of ways including alteration of the metabolism
and actions of a number of phytochemicals, some of which may have steroidal
effects. Of crucial importance is the role of the gut and more specifically the
microflora in the gut and its impact in mediating certain effects of diet on
disease patterns in western countries (2-4).
