Lunasin
OTHER NAME(S): Lunasina, Lunasine
Overview
Lunasin is a group of amino acids, called a peptide, found in soybeans, oats, barley, and other plants.
Orally, lunasin is used for cancer, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), high cholesterol, heart disease, rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and weight loss, but there is no good scientific evidence to support its use for any condition.
Uses
Possibly Ineffective for
- Lou Gehrig's disease (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis or ALS). Taking lunasin for 12 months does not seem to improve or prevent symptoms of Lou Gehrig's disease.
Insufficient Evidence for
- High cholesterol. Early research shows that lunasin may not lower bad cholesterol (LDL) or raise good cholesterol (HDL) levels.
- Obesity. Early research shows that lunasin does not seem to help lower body weight.
- Asthma.
- Cancer.
- Heart disease.
- Rheumatoid arthritis.
- Other conditions.
More evidence is needed to rate the effectiveness of lunasin for these uses.
Side Effects
When taken by mouth: Lunasin is POSSIBLY SAFE when used appropriately for up to 12 months. It might cause bloating, constipation, diarrhea, nausea, and reduced appetite in some people.
Precautions
When taken by mouth: Lunasin is POSSIBLY SAFE when used appropriately for up to 12 months. It might cause bloating, constipation, diarrhea, nausea, and reduced appetite in some people.
Pregnancy and breast-feeding: There isn't enough reliable information to know if lunasin is safe to use when pregnant or breast-feeding. Stay on the safe side and avoid use.
Interactions
We currently have no information for Lunasin overview.
Dosing
The appropriate dose of lunasin depends on several factors such as the user's age, health, and several other conditions. At this time there is not enough scientific information to determine an appropriate range of doses for lunasin. Keep in mind that natural products are not always necessarily safe and dosages can be important. Be sure to follow relevant directions on product labels and consult your pharmacist or physician or other healthcare professional before using.
References
- Odani S, Koide T, Ono T. Amino acid sequence of a soybean (Glycine max) seed polypeptide having a poly(L-aspartic acid) structure. J Biol Chem 1987;262(22):10502-5.
- Lule VK, Garg S, Pophaly SD, et al. Potential health benefits of lunasin: a multifaceted soy-derived bioactive peptide. J Food Sci 2015;80(3):R485-94.
- Liu J, Jia SH, Kirberger M, Chen N. Lunasin as a promising health-beneficial peptide. Eur Rev Med Pharmacol Sci 2014;18(14):2070-5.
- Dai G, Zhang P, Ye P, et al. The chemopreventive peptide lunasin inhibits d-galactose-induced experimental cataract in rats. Protein Pept Lett 2016; Published online ahead of print.
- Jia S, Zhang S, Yuan H, Chen N. Lunasin inhibits cell proliferation via apoptosis and reduces the production of proinflammatory cytokines in cultured rheumatoid arthritis synovial fibroblasts. Biomed Res Int 2015;2015:346839.
- Yang X, Zhu J, Tung CY, et al. Lunasin alleviates allergic airway inflammation while increasing antigen-specific Tregs. PLoS One 2015;10(2):e0115330.
- Tung CY, Lewis DE, Han L, et al. Activation of dendritic cell function by soypeptide lunasin as a novel vaccine adjuvant. Vaccine 2014;32(42):5411-9.
- Dzirkale Z, Rumaks J, Svirskis S, et al. Lunasin-induced behavioural effects in mice: focus on the dopaminergic system. Behav Brain Res 2013;256:5-9.
- Hsieh CC, Hernandez-Ledesma B, Jeong HJ, et al. Complementary roles in cancer prevention: protease inhibitor makes the cancer preventive peptide lunasin bioavailable. PLoS One 2010;5(1):e8890.
- Jiang Q, Pan Y, Cheng Y, et al. Lunasin suppresses the migration and invasion of breast cancer cells by inhibiting matrix metalloproteinase-2/-9 via the FAK/Akt/ERK and NF-kB signaling pathways. Oncol Rep 2016;Published online ahead of print.
- Hernandez-Ledesma B, Hsieh CC, de Lumen BO. Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of cancer preventive peptide lunasin in RAW 264.7 macrophages. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2009;390(3):803-8.
- de Mejia EG, Dia VP. Lunasin and lunasin-like peptides inhibit inflammation through suppression of NF-kappaB pathway in the macrophage. Peptides 2009;30(12):2388-98.
- Galvez AF. Identification of lunasin as the active component in soy protein responsible for reducing LDL cholesterol and risk of cardiovascular disease [abstract]. Circulation 2012;126:A10693.
- Dia VP, Torres S, de Lumen BO, et al. Presence of lunasin in plasma of men after soy protein consumption. J Agric Food Chem 2009;57(4):1260-6.
- Jeong HJ, Jeong JB, Kim DS, de Lumen BO. Inhibition of core histone acetylation by the cancer preventive peptide lunasin. J Agric Food Chem 2007;55(3):632-7.
- Bedlack RS, Wicks P, Vaughan T, et al. Lunasin does not slow ALS progression: results of an open-label, single-center, hybrid-virtual 12-month trial. Amyotroph Lateral Scler Frontotemporal Degener. 2019 May;20(3-4):285-293.
- Haddad Tabrizi S, Haddad E, Rajaram S, Oda K, Kaur A, Sabaté J. The effect of soybean lunasin on cardiometabolic risk factors: A randomized clinical trial. Subst Use Misuse. 2019;54(9):1530-1540.
- Fernández-Tomé S, Indiano-Romacho P, Mora-Gutiérrez I, et al. Lunasin peptide is a modulator of the immune response in the human gastrointestinal tract. Mol Nutr Food Res. 2021 Jun;65(12):e2001034.
- Hsieh CC, Wang YF, Lin PY, Peng SH, Chou MJ. Seed peptide lunasin ameliorates obesity-induced inflammation and regulates immune responses in C57BL/6J mice fed high-fat diet. Food Chem Toxicol. 2021 Jan;147:111908.