Equol for artery health and memory in older adults
Arterial Stiffness, Cognition, and Equol (ACE)
Sees if taking a daily 10 mg equol pill for 24 months helps slow memory decline and improve artery stiffness and brain white matter in people aged 70 and older without dementia.
Quick facts
| Grant type | R01 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Pittsburgh, United States) |
| Project ID | NIH-11295480 on NIH RePORTER |
What this research studies
You would be randomly assigned to take a daily 10 mg equol supplement or a matching placebo for two years. The team will give regular memory and thinking tests, measure artery stiffness, and take brain scans to look for white matter lesions. They will also check whether your gut bacteria can turn soy compounds into equol, since that may change how well the supplement works. Visits and tests take place at the University of Pittsburgh with about 400 participants enrolled.
Who could benefit from this research
Good fit: Ideal participants are adults aged 70 or older without dementia who can take a daily supplement, attend clinic visits, and have MRI scans.
Not a fit: People who already have dementia, cannot undergo MRI, have contraindications to the supplement (for example, severe soy allergy), or are unwilling to attend regular visits are unlikely to benefit from participating.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If effective, the supplement could slow age-related memory decline and reduce vascular brain injury by improving artery stiffness.
How similar studies have performed: Prior research is mixed: observational Japanese studies and subgroup analyses suggested equol links to better cognition and a short RCT showed improved arterial stiffness, while larger U.S. trials of soy isoflavones were overall negative.
Where this research is happening
Pittsburgh, United States
- University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh — Pittsburgh, United States (Active)
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Sekikawa, Akira — University of Pittsburgh at Pittsburgh
- Study coordinator: Sekikawa, Akira
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page below.