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 .
Soy germ isoflavones improve menopausal symptoms but have no effect on blood lipids in early postmenopausal Chinese women: a randomized placebo-controlled trial
Objective Estrogen therapy is , to date , the most effective treatment of menopausal syndrome and also has a favorable effect on lipid profiles . Because of its potential adverse effects , however , a more acceptable alternative therapy needs to be identified . This study examines the effect of soy germ isoflavones on menopausal symptoms and serum lipids . Methods Ninety early postmenopausal Chinese women , aged 45 to 60 years , were r and omly assigned to three treatment groups ( 30 each ) receiving daily doses of 0 ( placebo ) , 84 , and 126 mg of soy germ isoflavones .  Hot flush frequency , Kupperman scores , serum 17&bgr;-estradiol , follicle-stimulating hormone , luteinizing hormone , and serum lipids , including triglyceride , total cholesterol , low-density lipoprotein cholesterol , high-density lipoprotein cholesterol , apolipoprotein A-I , and apolipoprotein B100 , were assessed at baseline and at 12 and 24 weeks after treatment . Results Both the frequency of hot flushes and the Kupperman index score decreased in all three treatment groups during the intervention period , but the percentage decreases in both were significantly greater in the two isoflavone groups ( 44.3 ± 19.1 and 57.8 ± 37.4 [ 84 mg isoflavones ] ; 48.5 ± 27.2 and 56.7 ± 26.7 [ 126 mg isoflavones ] ) than in the placebo group ( 27.8 ± 15.5 and 34.6 ± 46.2 ; p < 0.01 ) . There was no significant difference in the changes in estradiol , follicle-stimulating hormone , and luteinizing hormone among the three treatment groups during the study , and no significant differences were observed in the lipid components . Conclusions A daily supplement of 84 or 126 mg soy germ isoflavones may improve menopausal symptoms , although neither dose was found to affect lipid profiles in early postmenopausal Chinese women after 24 weeks of treatment . The favorable effects are unlikely to be associated with female hormones
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 .