Intakes and sources of isoflavones, lignans, enterolignans, coumestrol and soya-containing foods in the Norfolk arm of the European prospective investigation into cancer and nutrition (EPIC-Norfolk), from 7 d food diaries, using a newly updated database

Objective A diet rich in phyto-oestrogens has been suggested to protect against a variety of common diseases but UK intake data on phyto-oestrogens or their food sources are sparse. The present study estimates the average intakes of isoflavones, lignans, enterolignans and coumestrol from 7 d food diaries and provides data on total isoflavone, lignan and phyto-oestrogen consumption by food group. Design Development of a food composition database for twelve phyto-oestrogens and analysis of soya food and phyto-oestrogen consumption in a population-based study. Setting Men and women, aged 40-79 years, from the general population participating in the Norfolk arm of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC-Norfolk) between 1993 and 1997, with nutrient and food data from 7 d food diaries. Subjects A subset of 20 437 participants. Results The median daily phyto-oestrogen intake for all men was 1199 μg (interquartile range 934-1537 μg; mean 1504 μg, sd 1502 μg) and 888 μg for all women (interquartile range 710-1135 μg; mean 1205 μg, sd 1701 μg). In soya consumers, median daily intakes were higher: 2861 μg in men (interquartile range 1304-7269 μg; mean 5051 μg, sd 5031 μg) and 3142 μg in women (interquartile range 1089-7327 μg; mean 5396 μg, sd 6092 μg). In both men and women, bread made the greatest contribution to phyto-oestrogen intake - 40·8 % and 35·6 %, respectively. In soya consumers, vegetable dishes and soya/goat's/sheep's milks were the main contributors - 45·7 % and 21·3 % in men and 38·4 % and 33·7 % in women, respectively. Conclusions The ability to estimate phyto-oestrogen intake in Western populations more accurately will aid investigations into their suggested effects on health.