OBJECTIVES If and to what extent soy protein, soy isoflavones, and their metabolites, including S(--)-equol, have beneficial effects on women's health is currently unclear. The North American Menopause Society (NAMS)/Utian Translational Science Symposium on Soy and Soy Isoflavones convened October 9-10, 2010, to clarify basic and clinical research findings as they relate to the risk and benefit...

Objectives: If and to what extent soy protein, soy isoflavones, and their metabolites, including S(Y)-equol, have beneficial effects on women_s health is currently unclear. The North American Menopause Society (NAMS)/Utian Translational Science Symposium on Soy and Soy Isoflavones convened October 9-10, 2010, to clarify basic and clinical research findings as they relate to the risk and benefit...

Equol, a nonsteroidal estrogen of dietary origin, was recently identified in human urine, and is excreted in amounts comparable to the classical steroidal estrogens. We confirm here that phytoestrogens which are abundant in dietary soya protein are converted by human gastrointestinal flora to this weak estrogen. After the ingestion of meals containing cooked soya protein the urinary excretion o...

The identification (by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and n.m.r.) for the first time of the weak oestrogen equol [7-hydroxy-3-(4'-hydroxyphenyl)chroman] in human urine is described. Preliminary results of its quantitative excretion in urine are reported and the potential significance of the occurrence of this compound is discussed.

Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is the pathological cellular progression of glandular proliferation associated with aging. The primary changes in prostate disorders are mediated by the conversion of the principle androgen, testosterone, to its more potent metabolite, 5α-dihydrotestosterone (5α-DHT). However, recent evidence suggests that estrogen hormonal actions via estrogen receptor subtyp...

Daidzein (one of the major isoflavones) can be metabolized to equol in certain individuals. The effects of isoflavones alone and equol status on lipid profiles are still controversial. To evaluate the 6-mo effects of daidzein on cardiovascular risk factors in hypercholesterolemic individuals and the interactions of these effects with equol status and estrogen receptor (ESR) genotypes, we conduc...

BACKGROUND Health claims link soy protein (SP) consumption, through plasma cholesterol reduction, to a decreased risk of heart disease. Soy isoflavones (ISOs), particularly in individuals who produce equol, might also contribute to lipid lowering and thus reduce SP requirements. OBJECTIVE The objective was to examine the contributions of SP, ISOs, and equol to the hypocholesterolemic effects ...

The phytoestrogenic isoflavonoid equol is known to protect against solar-simulated UV radiation-induced inflammation, immunosuppression, and skin carcinogenesis. The mechanism may involve antioxidant actions, because equol not only is a radical scavenger but also enhances the induction of a relevant cutaneous antioxidant, metallothionein. However, this study in female hairless mice examined whe...

Isoflavones are found in leguminous plants, especially soybeans. They have a structural similarity to natural estrogens, which enables them to bind to estrogen receptors and elicit biological activities similar to natural estrogens. They have been suggested to be beneficial for the prevention and therapy of hormone-dependent diseases. After soy products are consumed, the bacteria of the intesti...