No Benefit evidenceother
S-Equol for Hot Flashes
S-equol is a more potent and more selective estrogen-receptor-beta agonist than the isoflavones it is derived from, but only reaches meaningful blood levels in people whose gut bacteria can perform the conversion (or who take it directly as a supplement, bypassing that requirement).
How strong is the research?
No Benefit evidence
The soy metabolite equol is classified as 'not recommended' for vasomotor symptoms (Level I-II evidence) - a position that predates or does not fully account for the equol-producer-vs-nonproducer trial evidence.
How much to take
10–40 mg