Phyto-oestrogens are a diverse group of naturally occurring
non-steroidal plant compounds, and due to their structural
similarity with 17b-estradiol they have weak oestrogenic
and/or anti-oestrogenic effects. Interest in phyto-oestrogens
started in the 1980s after epidemiological studies comparing
Western and Asian diets indicated that a diet with high
content of phyto-oestrogens prevents predominant Western
diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, hormone-related
diseases (breast and prostate cancer) and postmenopausal
symptoms in women (osteoporosis, hot flashes) (Kurzer and
Xu, 1997; Adlercreutz, 2002; Duncan et al., 2003).