Four weeks of supplementation with genistein, an isoflavone from soy, may suppress the inflammatory process and ease breathing and explain previous reports linking the isoflavone to reduced asthma severity, suggests a new pilot study.
The production of inflammatory compounds by white blood cells (eosinophil LTC4) involved in asthma was reduced by 33 per cent, reports the study with 13 asthmatic subjects published in the journal Clinical & Experimental Allergy.
The study adds to a small but growing body of data supporting the role of isoflavones in respiratory health. Indeed, epidemiologic studies have linked high dietary genistein consumption with improved airflow in the lungs of asthmatics.
"[However,] the molecular mechanisms by which consumption of genistein might attenuate asthma and allergy have not been elucidated," stated lead author Ravi Kalhan from Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago.These findings form the rationale for future clinical investigation of dietary supplementation with soy isoflavones, or novel inhibitors of the pathway we have identified, as a strategy to ameliorate asthma and other eosinophil- or leukotriene-mediated diseases," concluded Kalhan.
Isoflavones from soy have been shown to provide a number of health benefits, including the promotion of heart health and the maintenance of bone health in post-menopausal women.
They have also been studied for their role in cancer prevention and slowing down the ageing process in peri-menopausal women, and have proved to be a popular alternative to HRT for those wishing to control menopause symptoms without resorting to drugs.
The study adds to a small but growing body of data supporting the role of isoflavones in respiratory health. Indeed, epidemiologic studies have linked high dietary genistein consumption with improved airflow in the lungs of asthmatics.
"[However,] the molecular mechanisms by which consumption of genistein might attenuate asthma and allergy have not been elucidated," stated lead author Ravi Kalhan from Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago.These findings form the rationale for future clinical investigation of dietary supplementation with soy isoflavones, or novel inhibitors of the pathway we have identified, as a strategy to ameliorate asthma and other eosinophil- or leukotriene-mediated diseases," concluded Kalhan.
Isoflavones from soy have been shown to provide a number of health benefits, including the promotion of heart health and the maintenance of bone health in post-menopausal women.
They have also been studied for their role in cancer prevention and slowing down the ageing process in peri-menopausal women, and have proved to be a popular alternative to HRT for those wishing to control menopause symptoms without resorting to drugs.
