Equol Rights: Researchers Rediscover Soy’s “Forgotten” Isoflavone
Genistein and daidzein are the two best-known phytoestrogens identified in soy. But roughly one-third of all people who eat soy can metabolize diadzein into equol, which is among the most potent plant estrogens known. This could account for the widely variant outcomes in clinical trials of soy for prevention of breast cancer, menopausal symptoms and other clinical conditions.