MedWire News: Only in women able to produce equol does isoflavone supplementation improve menopausal symptoms, Taiwanese researchers have discovered.

Wen-Huey Wu, from the National Taiwan Normal University in Taipei, and colleagues assigned 66 healthy menopausal women to 135 mg isoflavones daily and 30 to placebo. After 1 week, the women in the isoflavone group were tested for the presence or absence of equol in their urine.

The 34 equol-producing (EP) women, the 32 non-EP women, and those in the placebo group continued treatment for 6 months, and menopausal symptoms were evaluated.

Scores for hot flashes decreased more rapidly in the EP group than in those taking placebo after 3 months and continued to decrease during the course of the study. In addition, the EP group had a greater reduction in excessive sweating scores at 3 months.

EP women had a progressive decrease in scores for paresthesia of limbs, weakness, palpitation, and all 17 symptoms combined over 6-month period, while placebo patients did not improve after 3 months. There were no significant differences between the non-EP and placebo groups.

"A test for equol production ought to be considered before initiation of isoflavone supplementation," the researchers conclude.

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