Equol Nonproducing Status as an Independent Risk Factor for Acute Cardioembolic Stroke and Poor Functional Outcome

: Equol has protective effects against coronary artery disease and dementia by strongly binding to estrogen receptor beta, whereas the intake of soy isoflavone alone does not always confer such protective effects. Equol production is completely dependent on the existence of equol-producing gut microbiota. The effects of equol-producing status on the cerebrovascular diseases remain unclear. The current study was aimed to investigate the association of equol-producing status with the development of stroke and its neurological prognosis.