Seibel told his physician audience of 150 to soon expect a half-dozen studies looking at soy and bone that could settle this point. Appropriately enough, given Sunday s holiday, he made his mother part of the answer. She went off her estrogen-replacement therapy and was miserable. I put her on isoflavones and it helped. Seibel said eating whole soy foods is a woman s best strategy for the menopausal years, starting in her 40s.
Supplements are acceptable for relief from hot flashes.
He also recommended regular exercise and said that the herb black cohosh is an option if soy and exercise alone don t reduce symptoms. Seibel recently wrote an analysis of soy research that included 120 references. It is a balanced review, he said. Medical people feel threatened by that statement. If you are trying to get a paper published on soy, don t suggest it is an alternative to estrogen.