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 .
Effect of pure genistein on bone markers and hot flushes
Objective To evaluate the effect of 90 mg of daily genistein on markers of bone turnover and menopausal symptoms .  Design This was a cross-over , placebo-controlled study involving 100 postmenopausal women . Subjects were r and omly assigned to daily genistein or placebo for 6 weeks and crossed over to the alternative preparation for the following 6 weeks . Pure genistein was processed and encapsulated in accordance with British Pharmacopoeia st and ards . Each capsule contained 90 mg of pure genistein while the placebo contained just the eccipients . Results In women with significant hot flushes ( score ( intensity × number ) ≥ 9 ) , genistein reduced symptoms by 30 % compared to baseline and the difference compared to placebo was statistically significant . No effect was observed on biochemical markers of bone turnover , possibly due to the short duration of each arm of the study . Genistein reduced osteocalcin , a marker of bone formation , by 3.6 % compared to baseline and 0.31 % compared to placebo ( p = 0.81 and 0.40 , respectively ) . Genistein increased cross-link telopeptide , a marker of bone resorption , by 1.8 % compared to baseline and 0.29 % compared to placebo ; both differences were not statistically significant ( p = 0.078 and 0.88 , respectively ) . Conclusion Pure genistein at a dose of 90 mg per day appears to reduce the number of hot flushes  in postmenopausal women but the effect is mild
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 .