Phytoestrogen: plants produce own chemicals.
Through page 77 to 79, Dr. Moalem asserts the importance of
“broader connection between evolution in the animal kingdom and evolution in
the plant kingdom,” which is related to Big Idea 4 (Biological systems
interact, and these systems and their interactions posses complex properties). In
Western Australia during the 1940s, health sheep could not pregnant or lost
their young before giving birth. Some agricultural specialists discovered the
cause of this “sheep-breeding crisis”: European clover produced a potent
phytoestrogen called formononetin.
Related to the connection between sheep and clover, explain
the significance of formononetin and the reason why European clover produced
formononetin. In addition, recall what we learned in unit 6 during class and
provide one example of “beneficial effects we receive because of basic plant
chemistry.”
Also, Carl Djerassi developed the first marketable
contraceptive pill in 1951 by using the chemical phytoestrogen; however, phytoestrogens
are similar to sex hormones, such as estrogen. Research two examples how
phytoestrogen are used in our lives: one example must explain how
phytoestrogens help the reproduction, and the other example must explain how
phytoestrogens suppress the reproduction.
Formononetin is a phytoestrogen used by plants to prevent consumption by predators in the area, herbivores or omnivores. Formononetin represents one of the adaptations used by plants that have been developed over time by plants that had a need for them. When animals began to eat certain plants such as the European clover, the plants needed a way to fight back. Most clovers were likely eaten at first, but certain ones survived because they presented dangers to the sheep. These survivors contained the alleles required for the production of formononetin. Because of this gene that allowed the clovers to poison predators, these specific individuals were able to survive and reproduce, increasing the amount of formononetin alleles in the gene pool. This has developed populations of European clovers that are protected from sheep because the sheep have learned that eating these clovers will lead to sterility and decrease a sheep’s ability to reproduce. This connects to big idea 1: the process of evolution drives the diversity and unity of life. By adapting to predation over time, the European clovers have unified over time in order for the majority of the individuals to produce this phytoestrogen and protect themselves.
ReplyDeleteOne example of a phytoestrogen that humans use is soy. Dr. Moalem explains that soy produce genistein, a phytoestrogen. Soy used “in many processed foods” today, providing a large amount of phytoestrogens to people (79). However, soy would not be used if it only harmed people. Soy is an inexpensive source of nutrition, giving it value in our diets. It is even used in baby food because of how concentrated the nutrients are.
Another type of phytoestrogen is lignan. Lignan products such as brans, beans, and seeds have been connected to lower levels of breast cancer in those that consume more phytoestrogen. For example, studies have shown that women with more lignan in their urine are at less of a risk of developing breast cancer, providing a major advantage to phytoestrogens. Perhaps the cure to cancers such as breast cancer can be found in phytoestrogens like lignan.
http://envirocancer.cornell.edu/factsheet/diet/fs1.phyto.cfm
(by Daniel Majeed dmajeed4@students.d125.org)