Dietary supplementation with sprouts produced higher total phytoestrogen
content (approximately 30%) than was found in the control
group. This change was mainly due to secoisolariciresinol diglucoside.
Despite the fact that the secoisolariciresinol diglucoside content was
definitively higher in flaxseed than in alfalfa sprouts, the difference in
the tissue levels of animals fed sprouts was not significant. A similar
trend was observed for other lignans such as hydroxymatairesinol
and secoisolariciresinol with differences even less pronounced. The
isolariciresinol content was lower in the alfalfa sprouts than in the
controls, and this difference was also found in the respective muscle
tissues. In contrast, the supplementation with flaxseed sprouts seemed
to induce a slight increase in isolariciresinol levels whereas no difference
in the matairesinol content was observed.