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 .
Exposure of infants to phyto-oestrogens from soy-based infant formula
BACKGROUND The isoflavones genistein , daidzein , and their glycosides , found in high concentrations in soybeans and soy-protein foods , may have beneficial effects in the prevention or treatment of many hormone-dependent diseases . Because these bioactive phyto-oestrogens possess a wide range of hormonal and non-hormonal activities , it has been suggested that adverse effects may occur in infants fed soy-based formulas . METHODS To evaluate the extent of infant exposure to phyto-oestrogens from  soy formula  , the isoflavone composition of 25 r and omly selected sample s from five major br and s of commercially available soy-based infant formulas were analysed , and the plasma concentrations of genistein and daidzein , and the intestinally derived metabolite , equol , were compared in 4-month-old infants fed exclusively soy-based infant formula ( n = 7 ) , cow-milk formula ( n = 7 ) , or human breast-milk ( n = 7 ) . FINDINGS All of the soy formulas contained mainly glycosides of genistein and daidzein , and the total isoflavone content was similar among the five formulas analysed and was related to the proportion of soy isolate used in their manufacture . From the concentrations of isoflavones in these formulas ( means 32 - 47 micrograms/mL ) , the typical daily volume of milk consumed , and average bodyweight , a 4-month-old infant fed soy formula would be exposed to 28 - 47 per day , or about 4.5 - 8.0 mg/kg bodyweight per day , of total isoflavones . Mean ( SD ) plasma concentrations of genistein and daidzein in the seven infants fed soy-based formulas were 684 ( 443 ) ng/mL and 295 ( 60 ) ng/mL , respectively , which was significantly greater ( p < 0.05 ) than in the infants fed either cow-milk formulas ( 3.2 [ 0.7 ] and 2.1 [ 0.3 ] ng/mL ) , or human breast-milk ( 2.8 [ 0.7 ] and 1.4 [ 0.1 ] ng/mL ) , and an order of magnitude higher per bodyweight than typical plasma concentrations of adults consuming soy foods . INTERPRETATION The daily exposure of infants to isoflavones in soy infant-formulas is 6 - 11 fold higher on a bodyweight basis than the dose that has hormonal effects in adults consuming soy foods . Circulating concentrations of isoflavones in the seven infants fed soy-based formula were 13000 - 22000 times higher than plasma oestradiol concentrations in early life , and may be sufficient to exert biological effects , whereas the contribution of isoflavones from breast-milk and cow-milk is negligible
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 .