It sells products. Zick says when considering such isolated studies, it is important to remember it will likely take much more research to determine anything definite in terms of how soy plays into such women's health issues as menopause. There are a number of possibilities, including that it's culturally based. Women in some other cultures don't have them. Susan Quella, nurse coordinator for the North Central Cancer Treatment Group and principal investigator in the Mayo Clinic soy-debunking study, says Japanese women don't have hot flashes.
Some researchers believe it is because they eat more soy than their Western counterparts.
However, she adds, the phenomenon could also be attributed to their consumption of fish oils, which are also more prevalent in Japanese food than Western fare. Quella stands by the results of her study, but she isn't down on soy. In fact, she says plenty of solid scientific studies indicate that soy could help prevent osteoporosis and heart disease. Keep in mind, says Zick, that scientific evidence isn't available for most alternative remedies, but that doesn't mean they don't work. For instance, she says, there are no scientific studies on the use of red raspberry leaf tea to decrease the duration of labor for pregnant women, but women all over the globe have used the tea for that purpose for thousands of years.