Fargo, N.D. – Erxi Wu, NDSU assistant professor of pharmaceutical sciences, co-wrote the book chapter, "Prevention and management of obesity by isoflavones" with Barbara Doonan and Joseph Wu. It has been accepted by the Royal Society of Chemistry Publishing and will be included in the book, "Food and Nutritional Components in Focus: Chemistry, Analysis, Function and Effects."

According to the authors, obesity is a metabolic disease that is increasing in potentially epidemic proportions in the United States and throughout the world. Because obesity is clinically presented as manifestation of several degenerative disorders such as coronary heart disease, hypertension and type-2 diabetes, a uniformly safe and effective therapeutic regimen is as yet unavailable. The mainstay of pharmacological intervention for obesity includes suppression of appetite to curtail food intake or increased disposal of calories in the stool. Lifestyle factors including diet and nutrition may positively or adversely affect the risk of obesity.

Wu's chapter will review evidence regarding the dietary intake of soy and soy isoflavones as an adjunctive consideration for preventing and managing obesity.

"In this chapter, we evaluate results obtained from a combination of laboratory, animal and population-based studies relevant to molecular and cellular control of adipogenesis. We present and discuss the salient features of an approach aimed at identifying soy isoflavones with anti-obesity potentials. We also explore mechanistic links between dietary habits and the development of obesity, and consumption of isoflavones that might account for their anti-obesity effects," Wu said.

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