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 .
Polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) might reduce hot flushes: an indication from two controlled trials on soy isoflavones alone and with a PUFA supplement.
OBJECTIVES To investigate the effect on hot flushes of a soy isoflavone extract alone ( Study A ) and with the addition of a supplement of polyunsaturated fatty acids , PUFAs ( Study B ) . METHODS Subjects were postmenopausal women ( 29 in Study A , 28 in Study B ) with more than five troublesome hot flushes per day . Both studies were double-blind r and omized placebo-controlled trials with cross-over design , of 24-week duration . After a 2-week observation period , they were r and omized to receive two capsules per day providing 60 mg of isoflavones or placebo for 12 weeks ; thereafter , women who had taken isoflavones were given placebo for a second 12-week period , and vice-versa . Women in the Study B were given also two capsules per day containing a PUFA supplement for the entire 24-week test period . RESULTS Both studies showed the isoflavone extract to have no greater efficacy on hot flushes than the placebo . During the 24 weeks of the Study B there was a progressive and highly significant reduction in the number of hot flushes , independent of whether the women had begun with isoflavones or with placebo . CONCLUSION In these two trials the isoflavone extract did not show greater efficacy on the hot flushes than the placebo . The reduction of hot flushes observed in the Study B might be due to the PUFA supplement . PUFAs , particularly Omega ( Omega ) 3-fatty acids , could reduce hot flushes through their influence on neuronal membranes and /or the modulation of the neurotransmitter function and the serotoninergic system . Studies specifically design ed to document the action of PUFAs on hot flushes would be welcome
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 .