Soy Isoflavones

Last Updated: May 15, 2025

Soy isoflavones are phytoestrogens and are found mainly in soy products. They appear to have some benefits for cardiovascular health and menopause symptoms. They have a similar structure to estrogen but can be both estrogenic and antiestrogenic.

Soy Isoflavones is most often used for

What are soy isoflavones?
What are other names for Soy Isoflavones?
Note that Soy Isoflavones is also known as:
  • Genistein
  • Genistin
  • Dadzein
  • Daidzin
  • Glycitein
  • Glycitin
Soy Isoflavones should not be confused with:
Dosage information

Formulation:

Soy isoflavones can be taken as pills or as powdered supplements, but they are also found naturally in soy products like tofu that can be added into the diet to increase their intake.

Range of dosages studied:

Dosages range widely in studies, from about 25 milligrams to 300 milligrams per day of isolated soy isoflavones. [1][2]

Effective Dosages:

High cholesterol

General: 25 milligrams per day of soy protein could lower LDL cholesterol. It remains unclear whether the isoflavones contribute to this effect.[3][4]

Cardiovascular health

Postmenopausal women: In women with impaired endothelial function, a dosage of 50 to 100 milligrams per day could improve coronary blood flow.[3][5][6]

Bone health

Postmenopausal women: In perimenopausal and postmenopausal women, a dosage of 50 to 100 milligrams per day may have a small clinical effect on bone density.[2]

Other considerations:

These dosages are based on limited evidence, and more clinical trials are needed to find the ideal doses and timing and to assess whether any benefit is clinically meaningful.

It’s also worth noting that some studies quantify the intake of soy isoflavones based on the intake of soy products in the diet; for example, food diaries that mention eating 200 grams of tofu twice per week. Since these studies do not directly measure soy isoflavone intake, the dosages they mention are not always accurate.

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Update History
17 days ago

All new FAQs were added to this page.

major

We added all new FAQs to this page:

What are soy isoflavones?: We added this new FAQ to describe the structure of soy isoflavones.

What are the main benefits of soy isoflavones?: This FAQ includes multiple additional FAQs regarding the benefits of soy isoflavones. We discuss cardiovascular health, breast cancer, menopause, bone health, and metabolic health and how soy isoflavones might play a small role in improving these conditions.

How do soy isoflavones work?: This new FAQ describes the potential ways soy isoflavones work and includes their estrogenic, antiestrogenic, and possible antioxidant functions.

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References
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Examine Database References
  1. Serum Albumin - Zhixiang Y, Yongxing X, Juan L, Qing Y, Yangyang L, Zhangrui Z, Yuehua GThe effects of soy protein and soy isoflavones intake on chronic kidney disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Int Urol Nephrol.(2024 Nov 29)
  2. Serum Calcium - Inpan R, Dukaew N, Na Takuathung M, Teekachunhatean S, Koonrungsesomboon NEffects of isoflavone interventions on bone turnover markers and factors regulating bone metabolism in postmenopausal women: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Arch Osteoporos.(2024 Dec 21)