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Gut microflora are important in metabolizing lignans and achieving optimal serum concentrations of enterolactone, a lignan-derived phytoestrogen. Phytoestrogens have been associated in some studies with reduced risk for breast cancer and cardiovascular events. Serum enterolactone concentrations vary from person to person. Consumption and concentration of lignan-containing foods contribute to this variation but do not account for all of it. To determine whether antibiotic use might also contribute, the authors of this large population-based study from Finland investigated the effects of oral antimicrobial agents on serum enterolactone levels. They conducted a cross-sectional health survey during the spring of 1997 and measured enterolactone …