Chitin promotes equol production via n-acetylglucosamine in human fecal cultures.

Objectives: Equol is a metabolite of isoflavone. Here, we investigated the effect of dietary fiber on equol-producing microbiota.

Methods: Human feces was anaerobically cultured in Gifu Anaerobic Medium (GAM) containing 1 mg/L daidzein supplemented with 1 % (w/v) dietary fiber (pectin, chitin, or resistant starch [RS]).

Quantitative assessment of urinary equol levels, equol-producing bacteria, and the faecal microbiota in healthy Japanese individuals.

Equol (4',7-isoflavandiol) has attracted considerable attention for its potential efficacy in treating hormonal diseases. In this study we collected samples from healthy Japanese individuals (n = 91) to observe the relationship between the abundance of equol-producing bacteria in their faeces and the concentration of equol in their urine. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) targeting the dihydrodaidzein reductase gene (dhdr) was used to detect equol-producing bacteria.