Soy Isoflavones Ineffective Against Menopause Symptoms

Soy Isoflavones Ineffective Against Menopause Symptoms

HELSINKI, Finland--Pure isoflavones do not appear to improvemenopausal symptoms in women with breast cancer, according to physicians atHelsinki University Central Hospital. Their placebo-controlled study, publishedin the June issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology (101, 6:1213-20, 2003) (www.sciencedirect.com),involved 62 postmenopausal women who had a history of breast cancer. The womenwere randomly assigned to take either 114 mg/d of isoflavones or placebo forthree months, followed by a two-month washout period and then a reversal oftreatments. While the treatment was well-tolerated among all study subjects andwas deemed safe by the researchers, phytoestrogen supplementation did notimprove quality of life parameters such as working capacity and mood changes. Ofthe 56 women who completed the study, 25 preferred the phytoestrogen regimen, 15preferred placebo and 16 reported no difference. Researchers concluded pureisoflavone supplementation does not alleviate menopause symptoms in breastcancer patients.