Is this new Equol Product the real deal?

This is Fermented Soybean Germ, is the 2 milligrams of Equol really Equol?

http://www.drugstore.com/qxp208809_333181_sespider/nutriplus/equol.htm

They have a website http://www.nutriplusonline.co.uk/

Interesting. Could someone please contact them to get some hard evidence?

Here's an update:

Here is a recent article, apparently Nature Made is going to be making this.

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2009-10/pn-nss100809.php

I revisted the link I posted before and found one review, here's what it read:
http://www.drugstore.com/qxp208809_333181_sespider/nutriplus/equol.htm

"NutriPlus Equol rates 5 out of 5 stars, from 1 customer review.Best cure for hot flashes!
by "Cool" Lady[Verified Buyer] in Pendleton, SC on 10/10/09
Pros: Fast Acting
Describe Yourself: Regular User
Best Uses: Once a Day
Bottom Line: recommended
I take three of these every morning and have all but eliminated my hot flashes. I was having at least 5 very sweaty hot flashes PER DAY. I had a wave of nausia and then the heat and then the sweating! I had been off Premarin for nearly three years and still no let up of the flashes. Then I tried EQUOL, and within two-three weeks, I feltso normal, with no hot flashes. I might get one very mild flash about once or twice a week, but no sweating. I recommend this product."

I m generally reluctant to take supplememnts now i prefer to follow a dietary regimen, but this is something i might be interested in, although there is a lot of information on soy out there that has scared me away from soy products. is there any reason why we should not be as wary with this as any other soy product? how much of this would we need to take? From memory i think the research concludes that equol binds to dht and inactivates it, does this have any ramifications for our general health? this could be more potent than propecia and i will be researching it again for sure.

valderama - High dose equol can cause problems, but it would be quite expensive to take enough equol to cause toxicity.

Equol is a metabolite from anaerobic, intestinal fermentation. So think of S-Equol as a fermented metabolite. Only the non-fermented soy products are worrisome.

thanks immortal. I remember being excited about this first time round and then being somewhat deflated when i realised in all likelihood i wasnt an equol producer and wasnt very keen on suplementing with soy on the off chance. So if there is a chance this can be metabolised I think i will be giving this serious consideration. I would like to drop fin and this maybe the way to do it, I cant see why it couldnt be used alongside fin in the short term to determine efficacy and if it works potentially to ween off fin and replace it. I found these articles helpful:

http://www.hairloss-research.org/UpdateEquol7-09.html

http://www.csurf.org/tto/pdfs/ncs_forms/03-006_csuv_ncs.pd

http://www.scienceblog.com/cms/node/2523

caustic did you hear about a product called densiti?
i have used this by itself and it makes my skin perfect(less oily),scalp also ....http://www.swansonvitamins.com/SWU160/ItemDetail?n=0

baroudeur - That product doesn't contain any equol. If you're an equol producer, then the daidzein will metabolize into equol.

Whenever a bonafide S-Equol emerges and who knows maybe that link at the very top of this thread is legitimate--I haven't tried it, it would be somewhat of a holy grail in terms of halting hair loss. Equol was described as essentially "handcuffing" DHT without inhibiting it, so there would be no sides.

I ordered a bottle of Equol and 2 of the Na-RALA = $39.19

Comes with free shipping as it's my first order from drugstore.com and I get about $1.96 credit good towards my next purchase from drugstore.com till Jan 31, 2010.

If 10 mg is considered the right amount to achieve effect, then nutriplus 2 mg capsules are too small.

How to find out if you're an equol producer?

jdp710 wrote:I ordered a bottle of Equol and 2 of the Na-RALA = $39.19

Comes with free shipping as it's my first order from drugstore.com and I get about $1.96 credit good towards my next purchase from drugstore.com till Jan 31, 2010.

hyou get 20% off 50$ purchase on drugstore when its your first purchase,google oupons

Is this essentially the same thing ... or does equol provide something this product doesn't??

Thanks.

http://www.lef.org/Vitamins-Supplements/Item00758/Super-Absorbable-Soy-Isoflavones.html

I noticed it has something called...

Soynatto Fermented Soyfood (organic, Non-GMO)

Misirlou wrote:How to find out if you're an equol producer?

I have actually looked into equol quite a bit. I have been in contact with a doctor of biomedical science who has done extensive research on equol and he informed me that the only way to verify if you are an equol producer is to measure circulating levels of equol in your plasma several hours after eating a soy containing meal. From what he told me, there are very few ways to accurately measure equol, but the best is mass spectrometry, which is not readily available without signifacant cost.

He did explain to me that most people who were raised on Western diets are most likely not equol producers, as the majority of the world's equol producers are found in the far east (China, Japan, Korea) and raised on soy based diet from a young age.

He also explained that equol can be supplemented, as there is some bioavailability following oral consumption, but amounts to be taken have not been officially established and to be cautious with equol supplements as the real amount of equol is often suspect.

I second big mike, most of us are probably non-equol producers so supplementing with S-Equol is the best bet.

Interesting info big mike.

Would supplement equol be as potent as self-produced equol and if yes....WHAT ARE WE WAITING FOR?

CS, you're the pill guinea pig...start taking eqoul pills mate!

Misirlou - LOL, well normally I would have jumped right on it but I stopped my hair loss some time ago, so if I bought it I wouldn't know if it worked.

CausticSymmetry wrote:baroudeur - That product doesn't contain any equol. If you're an equol producer, then the daidzein will metabolize into equol.

Whenever a bonafide S-Equol emerges and who knows maybe that link at the very top of this thread is legitimate--I haven't tried it, it would be somewhat of a holy grail in terms of halting hair loss. Equol was described as essentially "handcuffing" DHT without inhibiting it, so there would be no sides.

Hey CS, I am curious. How does equol "handcuff" DHT and prevent it from affecting hair follicles yet not inhibit its action elsewhere in the body? Wouldn't it "handcuff" it in all other areas of the body as well thus creating the potential for a lot of the sides that are seen with fin, dut, etc.?

huli - Equol binds to DHT rather than inhibiting it, so it won't adversely effect other steroid hormones effected by 5-alpha reductase. Here are some studies on soy consumption and chances of making equol.

Prostate Cancer Prostatic Dis. 2009;12(3):247-52.
Isoflavone supplements stimulated the production of serum equol and decreased the serum dihydrotestosterone levels in healthy male volunteers.
Tanaka M, Fujimoto K, Chihara Y, Torimoto K, Yoneda T, Tanaka N, Hirayama A, Miyanaga N, Akaza H, Hirao Y.

Department of Urology, Nara Medical University, Kashihara, Japan. masa-t@naramed-u.ac.jp

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of supplementing healthy men with soy isoflavones on the serum levels of sex hormones implicated in prostate cancer development. A total of 28 Japanese healthy volunteers (18 equol producers and 10 equol non-producers) between 30 and 59 years of age were given soy isoflavones (60 mg daily) supplements for 3 months, and the changes in their sex hormone levels were investigated at the baseline and after administration. The serum and urine concentrations of daidzein, genistein, and the levels of equol in the fasting blood samples and 24-h stored urine samples were also measured. All 28 volunteers completed the 3-month supplementation with isoflavone. No changes in the serum levels of estradiol and total testosterone were detected after 3-month supplementation. The serum levels of sex hormone-binding globulin significantly increased, and the serum levels of free testosterone and dihydrotestosterone (DHT) decreased significantly after 3-month supplementation. Among the 10 equol non-producers, equol became detectable in the serum of two healthy volunteers after 3-month supplementation. This study revealed that short-term administration of soy isoflavones stimulated the production of serum equol and decreased the serum DHT level in Japanese healthy volunteers. These results suggest the possibility of converting equol non-producers to producers by prolonged and consistent soy isoflavones consumption.

J Nutr. 2005 Jun;135(6):1400-6.
Long-term dietary habits affect soy isoflavone metabolism and accumulation in prostatic fluid in caucasian men.
Hedlund TE, Maroni PD, Ferucci PG, Dayton R, Barnes S, Jones K, Moore R, Ogden LG, Wähälä K, Sackett HM, Gray KJ.

School of Medicine, Department of Pathology, The University of Colorado Cancer Center, Denver, USA. Tammy.Hedlund@UCHSC.edu

The soy isoflavones daidzein and genistein are believed to reduce prostate cancer risk in soy consumers. However, daidzein can be metabolized by the intestinal flora to form a variety of compounds with different bioactivities. In the current study, we investigated the influence of long-term dietary habits on daidzein metabolism in healthy Caucasian men (19-65 y old). A secondary goal was to compare plasma and prostatic fluid concentrations of 5 isoflavonoids: genistein, daidzein, equol, dihydrodaidzein, and O-desmethylangolensin. Baseline plasma levels of isoflavonoids were quantitated in 45 men by HPLC-electrospray ionization-MS. Participants then consumed a soy beverage daily for 1 wk, and post-soy isoflavonoid levels were quantitated in plasma and prostatic fluid. Equol was the only metabolite that appeared to be influenced by routine dietary habits. Stratified analyses revealed that men who had consumed > or =30 mg soy isoflavones/d for at least 2 y had 5.3-times the probability of producing equol than men who had consumed < or =5 mg/d (P = 0.014). Additionally, those men who consumed animal meat regularly had 4.7-times the probability of producing equol than men who did not consume meat (P = 0.023). Equol production was not linked to age, BMI, or the consumption of yogurt, dairy, fruit, or American-style fast food. Daidzein and its metabolites (but not genistein) were typically present at higher levels in prostate fluid than plasma (median = 4-13 times that in plasma). In conclusion, our data suggest that the ability of Caucasian men to produce equol is favorably influenced by the long-term consumption of high amounts of soy and the consumption of meat. Last, the high concentrations of isoflavonoids in prostatic fluid increases the potential for these compounds to have direct effects in the prostate.

If equol significantly reduces the amount of dht in the bloodserum then that is very similar to the effect of finasteride, atleast "on paper".. Other so-called "dht blockers" only block the receptors or the transport mechanism.

How it will work in reality can be only vbe found out by trying.


The serum levels of sex hormone-binding globulin significantly increased, and the serum levels of free testosterone and dihydrotestosterone (DHT) decreased significantly after 3-month supplementation

cpio - Thanks for pointing that out, I totally forgot to mention that. In the age group studied, it's not that exciting to have an increase in SHBG.

I would like to try equol but that store super-charge for overseas shipping, maybe it will be available at i-herb sometime.

"Premenopausal Equol Excretors Show Plasma Hormone Profiles
Associated with Lowered Risk of Breast Cancer1
Alison M. Duncan, Barbara E. Merz-Demlow, Xia Xu,
William R. Phipps, and Mindy S. Kurzer2
Department of Food Science and Nutrition, University of Minnesota, St. Paul,
Minnesota 55108 [A. M. D., B. E. M., X. X., M. S. K.], and the Department of
Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York
14642 [W. R. P.]
Abstract
Increased urinary excretion of equol, a metabolite of the
isoflavone daidzein, has been associated with a reduced
risk of breast cancer. This risk reduction has generally
been presumed to be a consequence of increased
isoflavone consumption. However, only 30–40% of the
population excretes more than trace amounts of equol,
regardless of isoflavone intake. Accordingly, we
hypothesized that the observed apparent protective effect
of equol is at least in part attributable to hormonal
differences between equol excretors and non-excretors,
and that these differences are largely independent of
isoflavone intake.
We measured plasma hormone and sex hormone
binding globulin (SHBG) concentrations in 14 normally
cycling premenopausal women during each of three diet
periods in which they consumed differing isoflavone doses
(0.15, 1.0, and 2.0 mg/kg of body weight/day) as a
component of soy protein isolate. The plasma hormone
and SHBG concentrations of equol excretors (n 5 5)
were then compared with those of the non-excretors (n 5
9). Results showed that even at the lowest dose, urinary
equol excretion values for excretors far exceeded those
for non-excretors consuming the highest dose. At all
doses, equol excretors generally had lower concentrations
of estrone, estrone-sulfate, testosterone, androstenedione,
dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), DHEA-sulfate, and
cortisol and higher concentrations of SHBG and
midluteal progesterone, a hormonal pattern overall
consistent with lowered breast cancer risk. In conclusion,
the association of equol excretion and lowered breast
cancer risk may largely reflect the tendency of equol
excretors to have more favorable hormonal profiles, as
opposed to merely reflecting increased isoflavone intake.
Equol may be a marker for the presence of colonic
bacterial enzymatic activity that increases fecal steroid
excretion. Alternatively, equol itself, even with very
modest isoflavone intake, may exert beneficial effects on
the regulation of endogenous hormones.

http://cebp.aacrjournals.org/content/9/6/581.full.pdf