Phytoestrogens. State of the art.

A short overview of recent advances of phytoestrogen research is presented. Developments have particularly been made with regard to methods, food analyses, pharmacokinetics, receptor studies, mechanisms of action and effects on cancer. Most studies deal with isoflavones, but the interest in lignans is increasing as a result of a large rye project in the Nordic countries. The development of rapid time-resolved immunofluorescence assays in 20 μl plasma samples for enterolactone, genistein and daidzein has resulted in the initiation of many prospective studies on cancer risk using blood bank material.