Soy Helps Manage Menopause Symptoms

HUDDINGE, SwedenSoy isoflavones significantly reduced menopause hot flashes and night sweats in 51 women receiving 60 mg daily for 12 weeks, according to a study published in The Journal of the North American Menopause Society (14, 3:468-473, May/June 2007). Before and after treatment, climacteric symptoms (hot flashes and night sweats) were recorded; serum was collected to measure lipoprotein lipid levels, estradiol, and follicle-stimulating hormone; and biopsy specimens from endometrium and breast tissue were analyzed to investigate the expression level of steroid receptors and proliferation. At trials end, climacteric symptoms were reduced by 57 percent and 43 percent, respectively; the isoflavone treatment did not change levels of circulating estradiol or follicle-stimulating hormone, and breast biopsy specimens showed isoflavones did not affect expression levels of steroid receptors, estrogen receptors, progesterone receptors, or the proliferation marker Ki67. Furthermore, no side effects on body weight or lipoprotein lipids were observed. These data suggest soy isoflavones could be used to relieve acute menopausal symptoms.