Description:
Soy is a well‐characterized food containing the highest concentration of isoflavones. One isoflavone, daidzein, is metabolized by gut microbiota to ODMA and equol in some individuals. Variable clinical effects have been described following soy consumption and equol production status is postulated to be a contributing factor. Nutritional metabolomics is an emerging field that comprehensively characterizes biological samples. This pilot trial aims to use metabolomic approaches to assess biomarkers of soy intake (polyphenol metabolites) and biomarkers of effect (endogenous metabolites). We hypothesize that daidzein metabolizing phenotypes will be associated with significant changes in the endogenous metabolite profile. Subjects in this randomized, controlled, crossover study received either soy food or control food daily for 4 weeks, separated by a 2 week washout. Equol status was analyzed in urine by LC‐MS/MS and nutritional metabolomics, in urine and serum by NMR. Subjects include 17 adults (12F, 5M) at cardiometabolic risk with mean age 56 and BMI 31. Preliminary results confirm compliance to the intervention and reveal 47% equol producers and 71% ODMA producers. The metabolomic results will identify metabolic responses associated with daidzein metabolizing phenotypes in adults with cardiometabolic risk factors and contribute to the understanding of variable responses to soy consumption.