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 .
Randomized placebo-controlled trial of an isoflavone supplement and menopausal symptoms in women.
OBJECTIVE To test the hypothesis that increasing the intake of isoflavones by dietary supplementation may produce a therapeutic effect in reducing the incidence and severity of hot flushes in menopausal women . METHODS Fifty-one postmenopausal women were r and omized to placebo and active ( one tablet per day of a 40-mg isoflavone supplement ) groups in a cross-over design trial . After a 1-week run-in period , subjects were commenced on a 12-week period of treatment ( active or placebo ) , followed by a 1-month placebo wash-out period , then crossed over to the alternative treatment regimen for a further 14 weeks . Symptom diaries were maintained throughout the trial and at the start and end of treatment . Plasma sex hormone binding globulin ( SHBG ) assay , full blood count , biochemical profiles , vaginal swabs and vaginal ultrasound scans were performed and isoflavones determined in 24-h urine collection s by high-pressure liquid chromatography ( HPLC ) analysis . RESULTS There was no significant difference between active and placebo groups in the reduction in hot flushes between start and finish time-points . Analysis performed on interim data time-points revealed a substantially greater reduction in flushing in the active group than placebo at 4 and 8 weeks after commencement of treatment , but this was not statistically significant . There were no significant differences between groups for Greene scores or in SHBG levels , hematological or biochemical parameters and vaginal swab or ultrasound findings . The combined values for all subjects , regardless of treatment group , revealed a strong negative correlation between the level of urinary isoflavone excretion and the incidence of hot flushes . CONCLUSIONS These data do not indicate a therapeutic benefit from dietary supplementation with isoflavones in women experiencing menopausal symptoms , but do indicate that the apparent placebo effect in many studies of menopausal symptoms may be attributable to dietary sources of isoflavones . The study also demonstrates that 3 months of isoflavone supplementation did not cause adverse events or endometrial changes
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 .