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 genistein on hot flushes in early postmenopausal women: a randomized, double-blind EPT- and placebo-controlled study.
Objective : We evaluated and compared the effects of the phytoestrogen genistein , estrogen-progestogen therapy ( EPT ) , and placebo on hot flushes and endometrial thickness in postmenopausal women . Design : Ninety healthy , postmenopausal women , 47 to 57 years of age , were r and omly assigned to receive for 1 year continuous EPT ( n = 30 ; 1 mg 17β-estradiol combined with 0.5 mg norethisterone acetate ) , the phytoestrogen genistein ( n = 30 ; 54 mg/day ) , or placebo ( n = 30 ) . Endometrial safety was evaluated by intravaginal ultrasounds at baseline , 6 and 12 months . Results : By comparison with placebo  , daily flushes reduced significantly by a mean of 22 % ( 95 % CI : −38 to −6.2 ; P < 0.01 ) after 3 months , by a mean of 29 % ( 95 % CI : −45 to −13 ; P < 0.001 ) after 6 months , and by a mean of 24 % ( 95 % CI : −43 to −5 ; P < 0.01 ) after 12 months of genistein treatment . Flush score decreased by a mean of 53 % ( 95 % CI : −79 to −26 ; P < 0.001 ) after 3 months , by a mean of 56 % ( 95 % CI : −83 to −28 ; P < 0.001 ) after 6 months , and by a mean of 54 % ( 95 % CI : −74 to −33 ; P < 0.001 ) after 12 months of EPT , as compared with placebo . No side effect was observed on the uterus of the participants . Conclusions : The present study confirms that genistein might have positive effects on hot flushes without a negative impact on endometrial thickness and suggests a future role of this phytoestrogen as a strategically therapeutic alternative in the management of postmenopausal symptoms
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 .