There is no evidence of effectiveness in the alleviation of  menopausal symptoms with the use of phytoestrogen treatments
BACKGROUND Vasomotor symptoms , such as hot flushes and night sweats , are very common during the menopausal transition .
Hormone replacement therapy has traditionally been used as a very effective treatment but concerns over increased risks of some chronic diseases have markedly increased the interest of women in alternatives .
Some of the most popular of these are treatments based on foods or supplements enriched with phytoestrogens , plant-derived chemicals that have oestrogenic action .
OBJECTIVES To assess the efficacy , safety and acceptability of foods and supplements based on high levels of phytoestrogens for reducing hot flushes and night sweats in postmenopausal women .
Dietary soy supplementation and phytoestrogen levels.
OBJECTIVE To investigate the relationship between levels of  phytoestrogens  in blood and urine and symptom control in postmenopausal women whose diets were supplemented with soy containing high levels of phytoestrogen . METHODS Phytoestrogen levels in blood and urine were correlated with the number of hot flushes and vaginal maturation indices in 104 postmenopausal women whose diets were supplemented with 60 g of soy powder daily for 3 months in a double-masked , parallel , placebo-controlled trial . The effect of soy supplementation on menopausal symptoms in this study population was reported previously . RESULTS Serum levels of genistin , daidzin , and equol were significantly higher in women after soy diet supplementation ( + 756 % , + 593 % , + 1008 % , and 57 % respectively ) . The concentration of enterolactone in the soy group was increased by 57 % compared with baseline , but the difference with placebo was not statistically significant . The increase in phytoestrogen levels in the soy group in blood or urine did not correlate with fewer hot flushes . Vaginal maturation indices did not change in the soy group . CONCLUSION Phytoestrogen levels increased in women who consumed soy supplement , but that does not fully explain climacteric symptom reduction . It is possible that other types of yet unknown phytoestrogens or components in soy other than phytoestrogen influence hot flushes
There is no evidence of effectiveness in the alleviation of  menopausal symptoms with the use of phytoestrogen treatments
BACKGROUND Vasomotor symptoms , such as hot flushes and night sweats , are very common during the menopausal transition .
Hormone replacement therapy has traditionally been used as a very effective treatment but concerns over increased risks of some chronic diseases have markedly increased the interest of women in alternatives .
Some of the most popular of these are treatments based on foods or supplements enriched with phytoestrogens , plant-derived chemicals that have oestrogenic action .
OBJECTIVES To assess the efficacy , safety and acceptability of foods and supplements based on high levels of phytoestrogens for reducing hot flushes and night sweats in postmenopausal women .