Equol: any experience with?

Posted by njhornung @normahorn, Nov 13, 2023

Just received a notice where I can apply to be in a trial of Equol. They are looking to see if it could slow the progression of stiffening of the arteries, small blood vessel disease in the brain and memory decline. Clinical procedures include mri's of the brain and carotid ultrasounds. Looking it up, I see that the soy-based supplement is being used for osteoporosis. I will be emailing for more info but want to check in the meantime to see if anyone has experience with this supplement. I may have a small brain aneurysm and do have a small one on a carotid artery so this may have special interest to me and my doctors.

Thanks in advance.

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Osteoporosis & Bone Health Support Group.

I do not qualify for the trial at the initial questioning stage because of my cll.

And the main reason I would want to participate was nixed as they would not share MRI images with my doctors.

I was wondering if the supplement, if I got that rather than a placebo, would have an affect on my next DEXA.

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Hello @normahorn. These are great questions and it looks like you have done some research as well. Here are a few more articles that may help paint a bit more of a picture:

Equol: A Bacterial Metabolite from The Daidzein Isoflavone and Its Presumed Beneficial Health Effects - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6770660/

Systematic review of soy isoflavone supplements on osteoporosis in women - https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22305793/

The issue with these brief articles of research is they are a bit dated and the data is minimal. It appears there is some promise with its effects on osteoporosis, but no concrete data has been found. With your other diagnoses, it is always best to consult with your providers to make sure you are not interfering with any other treatments you are currently receiving.

@normahorn, it sounds like you were ruled out by some of the exclusion criteria for the study. That is unfortunate, but have you discussed this supplement withy your providers?

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Why do you assume I would not clear with my doctors before committing? If I had passed the first screening level, then it would be appropriate to ask them. Since I did not, there is no reason to take up their time on this issue.

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