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 .
Effects of the phytoestrogen genistein on hot flushes, endometrium, and vaginal epithelium in postmenopausal women: a 2-year randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study
Objective : To evaluate in a 24-month , prospect i ve , r and omized , double-blind , placebo-controlled study whether pure administration of the phytoestrogen genistein ( 54 mg/d ) might reduce the number and severity of hot flushes in postmenopausal women , with no adverse effect on the endometrium and vagina . Methods : A total of 389 participants met the parent study criteria and were r and omly assigned to receive the phytoestrogen genistein ( n = 198 ) or placebo ( n = 191 ) . About 40 % of participants in both groups did not experience hot flushes , and the evaluation was performed in a subgroup of 236 participants ( genistein , n = 119 ; placebo , n = 117 ) . Reductions from the baseline in the frequency and severity of hot flushes were the principal criteria of efficacy . Endometrial thickness was evaluated by ultrasonography . The maturation value was also used to determine hormonal action on the vaginal cells . Results : There were no significant differences in vasomotor symptoms between groups at the baseline ( 4.4 ± 0.33 hot flushes per day in the genistein group and 4.2 ± 0.35 hot flushes per day in the control group ) . After 12 months of genistein therapy , there was a significant reduction ( −56.4 % ) in the mean number of hot flushes , with a significant difference compared with the control group . After 24 months , there was no further decrease in the number of hot flushes in both groups . No significant difference was found in mean endometrial thickness and the maturation value score between the two groups , either at the baseline or after 24 months . Conclusions : The phytoestrogen genistein has been shown to be effective on vasomotor symptoms without an adverse effect on the endometrium and vagina , but after the first year , there was no further improvement in the decrease in hot flushes
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 .