[Federal Register Volume 74, Number 88 (Friday, May 8, 2009)]
[Notices]
[Page 21698]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: E9-10788]
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES
National Institutes of Health
NIH-Sponsored Workshop: ``Soy Protein and Isoflavones Research:
Challenges in Designing and Evaluating Intervention Studies''; Notice
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Office of Dietary
Supplements (ODS) is co-sponsoring a workshop entitled ``Soy Protein
and Isoflavones Research: Challenges in Designing and Evaluating
Intervention Studies'' with other NIH Institutes and Centers (National
Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, National Cancer
Institute, National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin
Diseases, National Institute on Aging, and the Division of Nutrition
Research Coordination). The workshop will be held on July 28-29 at the
Bethesda North Marriott Hotel and Conference Center, Bethesda,
Maryland.
Summary
NIH has been supporting research on soy in its many forms for a
range of outcomes. Questions concerning which forms of soy might be
better for studies of specific health outcomes and at what doses led
the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine and the
Office of Dietary Supplements to commission an evidence-based review of
the literature. The resulting report (http://www.ahrq.gov/clinic/tp/soytp.htm) found a large, but weak, literature with equivocal findings.
Moreover, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
provided some troubling data about soy products used in research, which
included confounding produced by unanticipated levels of phytoestrogens
in animal feed (Heindel et al. Environmental Health Perspectives
2008:116(3);389-393). Hence, components of the NIH became concerned
about the quality of data from human studies.
The purpose of this workshop, therefore, is to provide guidance for
the next generation of soy protein and isoflavone human research.
Specifically, the workshop objectives are to identify (1)
methodological issues relative to exposures and interventions that may
confound study results and interpretation and (2) scientifically sound
and useful options and solutions for dealing with these issues in the
design, conduct, reporting of results, and interpretation of ongoing
and future studies. NIH is seeking input from scientists from multiple
disciplines, including nutritionists, physicians, analytical chemists,
epidemiologists, biochemists, and clinical trialists from academia,
industry, and government. This highly participatory workshop will
address issues related to population exposure to soy and other
phytoestrogens, factors influencing variability of response to soy
interventions and negative consequences of exposure, methods and tools
to assess exposure, product composition, and analytic methods to assess
soy product constituents and metabolites.
Registration
Seating at this workshop is very limited. To register, please e-
mail by June 1, 2009, your name, complete contact information
(including phone number, e-mail address, and street address), and the
dates that you plan to attend to Ms. Tricia Wallich at
[email protected] . If you do not have access to e-mail, please call
Ms. Wallich at 301-670-0270 (not a toll-free number). Ms. Wallich will
be coordinating the registration for this workshop.
Dated: May 4, 2009.
Raynard S. Kington,
Acting Director, National Institutes of Health.
[FR Doc. E9-10788 Filed 5-7-09; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4140-01-P