Soy Isoflavones Could Play Role in Life Extension

October 2009

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Soy isoflavones may activate anti-aging proteins and lead to an extension of life, suggests preliminary research from Newcastle University in the United Kingdom.

Scientists at Newcastle University’s Human Nutrition Research Center and Institute for Cell and Molecular Biosciences report that the soy isoflavone daidzein may activate a protein called sirtuin1 (Sirt1), previously linked to the regulation of aging and longevity.

"The concentration of daidzein that elicited [the Sirt1] response (100 mmol) exceeds achievable plasma concentrations but is not unrealistic with respect to local intestinal concentrations following consumption of isoflavone-rich foods or isoflavone supplements," wrote the researchers in Nutrition Bulletin.

"The long life expectancy and healthy ageing [sic] observed in the inhabitants of Okinawa Island in Japan, who in past years consumed a low-energy diet, is often cited as evidence supporting a longevity effect of energy restriction in humans," they added.

"It is of interest to note that soya provided the principal source of protein in this diet, raising the possibility that some beneficial effects of the diet relevant to healthy ageing and long lifespan may, speculatively, have been the result of soybean isoflavones potentiating effects mediated through the activity of Sirt1," wrote the researchers.

Laura Ions, Luisa Wakeling and Dianne Ford from Newcastle University report that early observations from their work indicate that soy isoflavones may share many of the functional properties of resveratrol, a polyphenol found in red wine [actually it is in grapes whether wine or not], "and so highlight the potential for a diet rich in these compounds to promote healthy ageing."

According to the researchers, isoflavones and resveratrol share a degree of structural similarity. They have also been reported to have effects on DNA methylation.

"A recent report providing evidence that daidzein can increase Sirt1 activity suggests to us that the isoflavones may potentially increase DNA methylation through the same hypothetical mechanism we propose for effects of resveratrol and energy restriction—that is, through the removal of acetyl groups from histone proteins by the activity of Sirt1," the researchers wrote.

"Our preliminary data lend some support to such a mechanism, but extensive further investigation is required to confirm such effects and to elucidate in detail the underlying mechanisms before giving dietary advice concerning potential beneficial effects of soya consumption," they concluded.

Nutrition Bulletin 34(3):303-308, 2009

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