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 .
The effect of a soy rich diet on the vaginal epithelium in postmenopause: a randomized double blind trial.
BACKGROUND A traditional asiatic phytoestrogen-rich diet is associated with a lower incidence of estrogen-dependent cancers and clinical consequences of postmenopausal estrogen deficiency . First Wilcox in 1990 , showed an increase of the vaginal cell maturation with phytoestrogens on postmenopausal women , but this has not been confirmed in some subsequent studies . METHODS In this study , we analyzed the effects of a 6-month soy-rich diet on the vaginal epithelium of asymptomatic postmenopausal women in a r and omized clinical trial . 187 women were recruited for the study and divided into three groups : a phytoestrogen rich diet group ; a hormonal replacement group , and a control group . A vaginal sample for hormonal cytology was taken before and at the end of the study , and sent unnamed to a cytologist . RESULTS The karyopycnotic index ( KI ) increased significantly in the diet group and in the HRT group but not in the control group . The maturation value ( MV ) had an identical trend to the KI . CONCLUSION We conclude that a soy rich diet is efficacious in increasing the maturation indices of vaginal cells . This effect could be a useful marker of the efficacy of a dietary intervention with phytoestrogen rich foods , and should be considered during preventive interventions against menopausal effects and vaginal atrophy
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 .