Enterolactone is a

organic compound In chemistry, organic compounds are generally any chemical compounds that contain carbon-hydrogen or carbon-carbon bonds. Due to carbon's ability to catenate (form chains with other carbon atoms), millions of organic compounds are known. The ...

classified as an enterolignan. It is formed by the action of intestinal bacteria on plant lignan precursors present in the diet.

Sources

Many dietary plant lignan precursors, such as

secoisolariciresinol Secoisolariciresinol is an organic compound. It is classified as a lignan, i.e., a type of phenylpropanoid. It is present in some cereals, e.g. rye, and together with matairesinol, has attracted much attention for its beneficial nutritional effect ...

, matairesinol,

lariciresinol Lariciresinol is a lignan, i.e., a type of phenylpropanoids. It is the precursor to enterolignans by the action of gut microflora. Enterolignans are of interest because they are speculated to exhibit beneficial medicinal properties. Occurrence I ...

pinoresinol Pinoresinol is a tetrahydrofuran lignan found in ''Styrax sp.'', ''Forsythia suspensa, and in Forsythia koreana''. It is also found in the caterpillar of the cabbage butterfly, ''Pieris rapae'' where it serves as a defence against ants. In food, i ...

, and sesamin, can be metabolized by gut microbes to enterolactone. In edible plants lignans are bound to the fiber fraction and therefore fiber-rich food products, such as cereals, vegetables, fruits and berries, are generally good sources of lignans and enterolactone. The richest known dietary sources of enterolactone precursors are flaxseed and sesame seed. Since enterolactone is produced by specific species of gut microbiota, the capacity to produce it varies between people. Antibiotic treatments can abolish the capacity to produce enterolactone. It may take up to a year before enterolactone production is restored.

Health effects

Enterolactone is suggested to possess beneficial health effects in humans. In epidemiological studies lower concentrations of enterolactone have been observed in

breast cancer Breast cancer is cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipple, a newly inverted nipple, or a re ...

patients compared to healthy controls, which may suggest that enterolactone is

anti-carcinogenic An anticarcinogen (also known as a carcinopreventive agent) is a substance that counteracts the effects of a carcinogen or inhibits the development of cancer. Anticarcinogens are different from anticarcinoma agents (also known as anticancer or ant ...

. Enterolactone and lignans may also be protective against

cardiovascular disease Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a class of diseases that involve the heart or blood vessels. CVD includes coronary artery diseases (CAD) such as angina and myocardial infarction (commonly known as a heart attack). Other CVDs include stroke, h ...

References

{{lignan Lignans Tetrahydrofurans Lactones Phytoestrogens Polyphenols