Soy Compound May Reduce Obesity-Related Inflammation

Isoflavones, polyphenol compounds found in soy, have been found by previous studies to confer a diverse range of health benefits, including cancer protection, reducing the incidence of cardiovascular incidents, and ameliorating menopausal symptoms.  Isoflavones downregulate inflammatory markers by reducing pro-inflammatory secretions of macrophages, which are a type of immune cell found in high concentrations in fat (adipose) tissue.  Lluis Arola, from the Universitat Rovira i Virgili (Spain), and colleagues investigated how isoflavone affects the adipocyte reaction to inflammation. The researchers tested three isoflavones -- genistein, daidzein and equol – for the secretion of inflammatory molecules in fat cells. They found that equol and daidzein reversed the pro-inflammatory effects of TNF-alpha on inflammatory signals and slightly reduced TNF-alpha-induced insulin resistance.  Genistein downregulated the expression genes associated with lipid metabolism.  Writing that: “Our results show that chronic exposure to isoflavones … prevented the secretion of the inflammatory factors …,” the team concludes that: These results indicate that isoflavones have a beneficial role in ameliorating inflammation and reducing insulin resistance.”