Editing Equol (section)

==Chemical structure==
Equol is a compound that can exist in two mirror-image forms known as [[enantiomer]]s: (''S'')-equol and (''R'')-equol.  (''S'')-equol is produced in humans and animals with the ability to metabolize the soy isoflavone daidzein, while (''R)''-equol can be chemically synthesized.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Setchell|first=KD |author2=Brown, NM |author3=Lydeking-Olsen, E|title=The clinical importance of the metabolite equol-a clue to the effectiveness of soy and its isoflavones |journal=The Journal of Nutrition|date=December 2002|volume=132|issue=12|pages=3577–84|pmid=12468591|doi=10.1093/jn/132.12.3577 |doi-access=free}}</ref> The molecular and physical structure of (''S'')-equol is similar to that of the hormone [[estradiol]].<ref name="pmid15734719">{{cite journal|last=Atkinson|first=C|author2=Frankenfeld, CL|author3=Lampe, JW|date=March 2005|title=Gut bacterial metabolism of the soy isoflavone daidzein: exploring the relevance to human health|journal=Experimental Biology and Medicine|volume=230|issue=3|pages=155–70|doi=10.1177/153537020523000302|pmid=15734719|s2cid=14112442}}</ref> (''S'')-Equol preferentially binds [[estrogen receptor beta]].<ref name="bacteria" /><ref name="receptors">{{cite journal |vauthors=Mueller SO, Simon S, Chae K, Metzler M, Korach KS |title=Phytoestrogens and their human metabolites show distinct agonistic and antagonistic properties on estrogen receptor {α} (ER{α}) and ERβ in human cells |journal=Toxicol. Sci. |volume=80 |issue=1 |pages=14–25 |date=April 2004 |pmid=15084758 |doi=10.1093/toxsci/kfh147 |url=http://toxsci.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/full/80/1/14|doi-access=free }}</ref>