A<unk>  is a plant-derived xenoestrogen (see estrogen) not generated within the endocrine system, but consumed by eating<unk> ic plants. Also called a "dietary estrogen", it is a diverse group of naturally occurring nonsteroidal plant compounds that, because of its structural similarity with estradiol (17-β-estradiol), have the ability to cause estrogenic and/or antiestrogenic effects.<unk> s are not essential nutrients because their absence from the diet does not cause a disease, nor are they known to participate in any normal biological function. Its name comes from the Greek phyto ("plant") and estrogen, the hormone which gives fertility to female mammals. The word "estrus" - Greek οίστρος - means "sexual desire", and "gene" - Greek γόνο - is "to generate". It has been hypothesized that plants use a<unk>  as part of their natural defence against the overpopulation of herbivore animals by controlling female fertility. The similarities, at molecular level, of an estrogen and a<unk>  allow them to mildly mimic and sometimes act as an antagonist of estrogen.<unk> s were first observed in 1926, but it was unknown if they could have any effect in human or animal metabolism. In the 1940s and early 1950s, it was noticed that some pastures of subterranean clover and red clover<unk> -rich plants) had adverse effects on the fecundity of grazing sheep. right
Phytoestrogen
Antiestrogen
Xenoestrogen
Conjugated estrogens
Antiandrogen
Tissue-selective estrogen complex
Antiprogestogen
Phytoprogestogen