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 .
Endometrial effects of long-term treatment with phytoestrogens: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study.
OBJECTIVE To determine the effects of 5 years of treatment with soy phytoestrogens on histological characteristics of endometrium in postmenopausal women . DESIGN R and omized , double-blind , placebo-controlled study . SETTING Centre of Perinatal and Reproductive Medicine , Department of Gynecological , Obstetrical , and Pediatric Sciences , University of Perugia , Italy . PATIENT(S ) Three hundred seventy-six postmenopausal healthy women , all with intact uterus . INTERVENTION(S ) Women were distributed in two different groups using r and omized criteria : group A ( n = 179 ) patients received soy tablets ( 150 mg of isoflavones per day ) for 5 years ; group B ( n = 197 ) patients received identical appearing placebo tablets for 5 years . MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S ) Results of endometrial histology from biopsies obtained at baseline , 30 months , and 5 years after the beginning of the treatment . RESULT ( S ) Two hundred ninety-eight women completed the 5-year treatment . No cases of malignancy were detected during biopsy . Seventy percent of women undergoing treatment with soy phytoestrogens had an endometrium classified as atrophic or nonassessable versus 81 % receiving placebo . The occurrence of endometrial hyperplasia was significantly higher in group A ( 3.37 % vs. 0 % ) . CONCLUSION ( S ) Long-term treatment ( up to 5 years ) with soy phytoestrogens was associated with an increased occurrence of endometrial hyperplasia . These findings call into question the long-term safety of phytoestrogens with regard to the endometrium
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 .