Four trials that were not combined in meta-analyses suggested that extracts with high ( > 30 mg/d ) levels of genistein consistently reduced the frequency of hot flushes .
BACKGROUND Vasomotor symptoms , such as hot flushes and night sweats , are very common during the menopausal transition .
Hormone therapy has traditionally been used as a highly effective treatment , but concerns about increased risk of some chronic diseases have markedly increased the interest of women in alternative treatments .
Some of the most popular of these treatments are foods or supplements enriched with phytoestrogens-plant-derived chemicals that have estrogenic action .
OBJECTIVES To assess the efficacy , safety and acceptability of food products , extracts and dietary supplements containing high levels of phytoestrogens when compared with no treatment , placebo or hormone therapy for the amelioration of vasomotor menopausal symptoms ( such as hot flushes and night sweats ) in perimenopausal and postmenopausal women .
A natural S-equol supplement alleviates hot flushes and other menopausal symptoms in equol nonproducing postmenopausal Japanese women.
OBJECTIVE The objective of this clinical trial was to examine the efficacy of a supplement containing natural S-(-)equol , a daidzein metabolite , in reducing  menopausal symptoms . METHODS In this multicenter , double-blind placebo-controlled trial , 160 equol nonproducing , postmenopausal Japanese women who experienced at least 1 hot flush/day were r and omly assigned to consume 10 mg/day S-(-)equol ( n=77 women )  or placebo ( n=83 women ) for 12 weeks . Participants completed a st and ardized menopausal symptom checklist and rated five common menopause symptoms by a visual analog scale at baseline , week 12 , and week 18 ( 6-week postintervention ) . Physical , blood , and urine examinations were conducted . One hundred twenty-six women completed the study . RESULTS At baseline , daily hot flush frequency was 2.9±2.1 for the S-(-)equol group and 3.2±2.4 for the placebo group . After the 12-week intervention , the S-(-)equol group had a greater decrease from baseline in hot flush frequency compared with the placebo group ( -1.9±1.8/day , -58.7 % , vs. -1.0±2.0/day , -34.5 % , p=0.009 ) . The severity of hot flushes and neck or shoulder muscle stiffness significantly decreased in the S-(-)equol group compared with the placebo group . No changes in clinical parameters or serious adverse effects were reported . CONCLUSIONS This is the first trial to show beneficial effects of a 10-mg natural S-(-)equol supplement consumed daily for 12 weeks on major menopausal symptoms , specifically , hot flushes and neck or shoulder muscle stiffness , in postmenopausal Japanese women . This supplement offers a promising alternative for management of menopausal symptoms
Four trials that were not combined in meta-analyses suggested that extracts with high ( > 30 mg/d ) levels of genistein consistently reduced the frequency of hot flushes .
BACKGROUND Vasomotor symptoms , such as hot flushes and night sweats , are very common during the menopausal transition .
Hormone therapy has traditionally been used as a highly effective treatment , but concerns about increased risk of some chronic diseases have markedly increased the interest of women in alternative treatments .
Some of the most popular of these treatments are foods or supplements enriched with phytoestrogens-plant-derived chemicals that have estrogenic action .
OBJECTIVES To assess the efficacy , safety and acceptability of food products , extracts and dietary supplements containing high levels of phytoestrogens when compared with no treatment , placebo or hormone therapy for the amelioration of vasomotor menopausal symptoms ( such as hot flushes and night sweats ) in perimenopausal and postmenopausal women .