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 mu g (interquartile range 934-1537 mu g; mean 1504 mu g, sd 1502 mu g) and 888 mu g for all women (interquartile range 710-1135 mu g; mean 1205 mu g, sd 1701 mu g). In soya consumers, median daily intakes were higher: 2861 mu g in men (interquartile range 1304-7269 mu g; mean 5051 mu g, sd 5031 mu g) and 3142 mu g in women (interquartile range 1089-7327 mu g; mean 5396 mu g, sd 6092 mu g). In both men and women, bread made the greatest contribution to phyto-oestrogen intake - 40 center dot 8 % and 35 center dot 6 %, respectively. In soya consumers, vegetable dishes and soya/goat's/sheep's milks were the main contributors - 45 center dot 7 % and 21 center dot 3 % in men and 38 center dot 4 % and 33 center dot 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.