October 17, 2014
The Official Food Geek: Assessing the Effect of Soybean Isoflavones on the Functionality of the Brush Border Membrane and Populations of Beneficial Bacteria
The demand for soybean has been on the rise since the awareness of its immense health benefits. Soybeans have been recognized as a good source of oils, proteins, essential amino acids and bioactive compounds; the later classifying it as a functional food. Thus far, soybeans have been identified to have the highest concentration of isoflavones – an estrogen-like compound that has been shown to modulate menopausal symptoms and the risks of developing cancer. The physiological benefits of the consumption of isoflavone-rich foods such as soybeans have been certified using both human and animal models. However, despite the understanding of the benefits of isoflavones and its metabolites, it is still unclear how they interact with the digestive tract. This summer, as a novice food scientist at the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences in Cornell University, I investigated physiological and molecular markers of nutrient metabolism to assess the effect of soybean isoflavones (and metabolites) on the functionality of the brush border membrane and populations of beneficial bacteria.
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