Dietary exposure estimates of isoflavones from the 1998 UK Total Diet Study

The phyto-oestrogen contents of the 1998 UK Total Diet Study (TDS) food group composites were determined. Each TDS set consisted of composite samples, one for each of the 20 designated food groups. These composites then represented the average consumption of all the individual food elements in each group, processed into the form in which they were consumed. In the TDS, individual composites of the bread, processed meat and fish food groups contained >5 mg kg(-1) of the individual isoflavones (daidzein, genistein and glycitein). Individual composites from the groups, miscellaneous cereals, other vegetables, fruit products and nuts contained >1 mg kg(-1). After weighting for average consumption of food from each TDS food group, an estimated daily intake of 3 mg day(-1) of combined isoflavone aglycones was obtained from the TDS sample collection model for the average (adult) consumer. The UK dietary intake of phyto-oestrogens is higher than previously estimated due in part to the use of soya in processed foods.