Soya–a dietary source of the non-steroidal oestrogen equol in man and animals

The dietary origin of the weak oestrogen equol (7-hydroxy-3-(4′-hydroxyphenyl)-chroman) present in human urine has been investigated using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. Feeding experiments with different food constituents and monitoring the urinary excretion of equol revealed that soya food yields more than 0·1 mg urinary equol/g flour ingested. From this source the glucoside of daidzein (4′,7-dihydroxyisoflavone) has been isolated and identified as a precursor of equol. Both equol and daidzein were characterized as monoglucuronide conjugates in human urine and the concentration of urinary equol exceeded the concentrations of the classical oestrogens by 100- to 1000-fold after ingestion of a single meal containing soya protein. The potential biological significance of this result is discussed.J. Endocr.(1984) 102, 49–56