Soy And Menopause
Herbal remedies MenopauseRx.com - Making menopause manageable.
Menopause And Soy Home Pharmacy Library Medical Professionals   About Us Contact Us Site Map
 
   
Self-Assessments
Menopause Related Health Guides
Symptoms
Treatments
Perscriptions & Medications
Complementary & Alternative
Acidophilus
Black Cohosh
Chaste Tree Berry
Cranberry Extract
Dong Quai
Evening Primrose Oil
Ginkgo Biloba
Ginseng
Glucosamine Chondroitin
Kava Kava
Red Clover
Resveratrol
Soy Protein
St. John's Wort
Valerian Root
Vitamins & Minerals
Health Concerns
Wellness
FAQ's
Success Stories
Surveys

  Featured Soy Product
  Effisoy

Revival® is clinically tested to work! 

Typical hot flash reduction was nearly 40% in a 12-week published study.

Click here to try 15 doctor-formulated Revival shakes and bars for only $15 (50% discount!).

These statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. Revival is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

Menopause Survival Kit
Menopuase Survival kit including month's supply of black cohosh supplementSign up for the MenopauseRx Menopause and Perimenopause Survival Kit to receive free educational materials and coupons for products to relieve menopause symptoms including a full sized sample of a Remifemin® black cohosh supplement.
- Order Now

Discover how Soy and Menopause interact.

What is Soy?


You have likely heard a lot about soy and its wide range of health benefits including menopausal relief in the news lately. But what exactly is soy and what about soy is good for you? 

'Soy', 'soy protein', 'isoflavones' and 'phytoestrogens' are commonly mentioned when discussing natural methods used to reduce menopause symptoms. Although there are similarities, there are also distinct differences between the various soy foods and supplements available.

This educational page will explore the differences between 'soy', 'soy protein', 'isoflavones' and 'phytoestrogens' in detail.  A discussion about the benefits of these compounds will also be presented.  Specifically, breast cancer, menopause symptom relief, bone health and cardiovascular disease prevention will be reviewed. 

Click each link below to be directed to the appropriate section:

1) What is the difference between 'soy', 'soy protein', 'isoflavones' and 'phytoestrogens'?

2) Use of Soy

    a) Breast Cancer prevention

    b) Menopause Symptom Relief

    c) Bone Health and Osteoporosis prevention

    d) Cardiovascular Disease prevention

3) Dosage of Soy and Supplements

4) Side Effects


For your convenience, a quick review table is listed below.  This table contains 'key points' from this educational page about Soy.  You are encouraged to read this table, and supplement the 'key points' with in-depth information about each point that follows in the subsequent text.

In General:

»   Due to the recent information about prescription hormone therapy, natural phytoestrogens are very popular and commonly used to combat menopause symptoms such as hot flashes and night sweats. 

»  Soy beans and other legumes contain isoflavones and are an important source of dietary phytoestrogens. 

»   Soy protein and soy isoflavones are not the same thing.  Therefore, for optimal benefit of the soy isoflavone, it is important to ascertain the isoflavone content of any particular soy product or food chosen.  

»   Soy based compounds must be absorbed in sufficient quantities before they can have any effect in the body, which can cause the effectiveness of various products to differ. 

Disease Prevention:

»  A number of studies have demonstrated the effectiveness of soy enriched diets on risk factors for breast cancer, cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis, as well as helping to combat some of the unpleasant symptoms of the menopause. 

Breast Cancer:

»  Recently in the news, a fermented soy bean paste called miso was linked to a substantial decrease in the risk of breast cancer among Japanese women.  Soy foods contain isoflavones, but could not be linked, by themselves, with breast cancer risk reduction. The main difference between miso soup and other soy foods consumed by the Japanese is the fermentation process.

Menopause Symptoms:

»  Several studies have shown that women who consume large amounts of soy-based phytoestrogens have fewer menopausal complaints. 

»  Twelve studies using soy or soy extracts were evaluated. Soy appeared to have a ‘modest’ benefit in reducing hot flashes. 

» As with all natural approaches, you should also allow sufficient time for the treatment to take effect, generally in the range of 4 to 12 weeks.

Bone Health:

»  A recent study showed that post-menopausal Japanese women who consumed higher amounts of soy isoflavones had a higher bone density.

Cardiovascular Health:

»  The FDA has stamped their approval of soy dietary supplementation. They state that 25 grams of soy per day with a prudent diet may reduce the risk of heart disease. 

»  The FDA did not make clear whether it was specifically the soy protein, the isoflavones, or a combination of both that is responsible for this benefit.  

Dosage Recommendations:

»  Current recommendations for phytoestrogen intake are as follows:

    1) 40 to 160 milligrams of isoflavones per day may be beneficial.


    2) 25 grams of soy protein via dietary intake. This equates to approximately 1/2 cup dried soy beans -or- 1 cup tofu -or- 1/3 cup isolated soy protein.

    3) You can easily control your isoflavone intake level with Revival Soy. For example, if you want to consume 80 milligrams of isoflavones per day, simply enjoy 1/2 of a naturally concentrated Revival bar or shake daily (each bar or shake contains 160 milligrams of soy isoflavones).  Click here to learn more and try Revival Soy.....

 


Side Effects:

» Minor stomach cramps and bloating can be associated with intake of soy foods that contain starches.


What is the difference between 'soy', 'soy protein', 'isoflavones' and 'phytoestrogens'?

Like all foods, soy contains many substances. The most researched substances in soy are its proteins and isoflavones. Soy is a good source of protein and has been consumed by Asian populations for thousands of years. The adoption of soy as a source of protein in the United States has been slow due to the abundance of animal source protein, but soy has enjoyed a burst of popularity thanks to a large number of positive health findings surrounding soy consumption. And the key compound to surface as a result of the last decade of soy research is soy’s isoflavones.


A natural compound from a plant that can act like estrogen in the body is called a phytoestrogen.  In spite of their name, phytoestrogens are not actually estrogens but are similar in structure.  Due to the recent information about prescription hormone therapy, natural phytoestrogens are very popular and commonly used to combat menopause symptoms such as hot flashes and night sweats.


Soy isoflavones are sometimes referred to as phytoestrogens and have the most potent estrogen-like activity of all common phytoestrogens.   Soy beans and other legumes contain isoflavones and are an important source of dietary phytoestrogens.  There are many different isoflavones found in plants. The isoflavones with the most estrogen like actions are daidzein, genistein, formononetin and biochanin. They are found in differing amounts in various legumes. Soy contains daidzein, genistein and glycitein. Other legumes, such as chickpeas and red clover, contain formononetin and biochanin.

In its natural form, the soy isoflavones are found attached to a protein.  It should be noted that soy protein and soy isoflavones are not the same thing.  Foods that contain soy protein can contain isoflavones but the content will vary widely.   Depending on the processing involved, the content can vary anywhere from virtually zero to around 2 milligram of isoflavones per gram of protein.  Therefore, for optimal benefit of the soy isoflavone, it is important to ascertain the isoflavone content of any particular soy product or food chosen.


Another aspect that is important to isoflavones is the structure that it is in.  Isoflavones can only be helpful if they are absorbed by the body. However, isoflavones cannot be absorbed in their natural form, called an 'isoflavone glycoside'.  An 'isoflavone glycoside' is the isoflavone attached to a sugar molecule.  This sugar molecule must be removed before it can be absorbed by the human gastrointestinal tract. Once the sugar molecule is removed, the isoflavone is referred to as an 'isoflavone aglycone'.  Converting the 'isoflavone glycoside' to the 'isoflavone aglycone' is accomplished by intestinal enzymes.  Importantly, there can be considerable individual variability on how effectively isoflavones can be processed by these enzymes and absorbed.

Certainly, the research surrounding soy has been very encouraging about its potential to deliver many healthful benefits. But too often it is unclear what is being tested since studies have looked at all kinds of soy foods and supplements and there has been no consistency in the products being tested. This may be one of the reasons why soy research does not always produce positive reproducible results. However, most research has consistently identified isoflavones as the key component for soy’s benefits.  Regardless of the source,  just remember that these compounds must be absorbed in sufficient quantities before they can have any effect in the body.

What are the Uses of Soy?


A number of studies
have demonstrated the effectiveness of soy enriched diets on risk factors for breast cancer, cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis, as well as helping to combat some of the unpleasant symptoms of the menopause. Further studies are necessary to evaluate whether these interventions are effective in actually decreasing the incidence of heart disease and osteoporosis associated fractures in postmenopausal women , but the findings so far are very encouraging.

Breast Cancer

Recently in the news, a fermented soy bean paste called miso was linked to a substantial decrease in the risk of breast cancer among Japanese women. This epidemiological study was conducted by researchers at Japan’s National Cancer Center . The researchers monitored the eating habits of 21,852 women ages 40-59 for a period of 10 years starting in 1990, by carefully assessing their diets and lifestyle habits. The research found that women who had three or more bowls of miso soup daily reduced their risk of breast cancer by 40% compared to those who only ate one bowl.  Those who had two bowls of miso soup reduced their risk by 26%.  The conclusion was that the more miso soup and isoflavones taken daily, the less risk of breast cancer.  However, researchers were only able to identify this trend with miso soup consumption and not other soy foods or supplements.  Soy foods contain isoflavones, but could not be linked, by themselves, with breast cancer risk reduction.

Miso soup consumption has been the subject of many studies, and has been associated with a reduced risk of certain cancers, heart disease, stroke, and radiation poisoning. While no single dietary factor can be responsible for one’s health,  it’s hard to refute that miso soup has been a large contributing factor to Japanese health. The main difference between miso soup and other soy foods consumed by the Japanese is the fermentation process. This fermentation transforms the isoflavones in soy into their active aglycone form which can be used by the body for a host of health concerns, including menopause.  In addition, this fermentation process also turns soy into a powerful antioxidant.

Menopause symptoms

Several studies have shown that women who consume large amounts of soy-based phytoestrogens have fewer menopausal complaints. Asian diets typically contain 40 to 80 milligrams of soy isoflavones per day, compared to 3 milligrams per day for American diets.   A scientific study of 104 postmenopausal women examined the consumption of 60 grams of isolated soy protein with 60 grams of the common milk protein (casein) per day for 12 weeks.   Women receiving the soy experienced a 45% reduction in hot flashes, which was significantly different from the milk protein group.  This difference was noted by the fourth week of treatment.   Nagata performed a study evaluating soy and hot flashes among Japanese women.   They found soy to have a protective effect against hot flashes.  101 women who developed moderate to severe hot flashes over 6 years were studied and found to have less hot flashes with higher soy intake.

A recent review of a number of studies using alternative methods for menopause symptoms was recently performed by Kronenberg. Twelve studies using soy or soy extracts were evaluated. Soy appeared to have a ‘modest’ benefit in reducing hot flashes. Soy based foods seemed to be more effective than traditional isoflavone supplement preparations.  The authors comment that ‘foods that contain phytoestrogens show promise for the treatment of menopause symptoms’. Importantly, the authors concluded that dong quai, vitamin E, evening primrose oil and red clover have no benefit in treating hot flashes.

Although phytoestrogens are helpful in relieving hot flashes, they may not totally eliminate these symptoms in severe cases. As with all natural approaches, you should also allow sufficient time for the treatment to take effect, generally in the range of 4 to 12 weeks. The addition of estrogen with phytoestrogen use for menopause symptoms has not been conclusively studied.

Bone Health and Osteoporosis

A recent study showed that post-menopausal Japanese women who consumed higher amounts of soy isoflavones had a higher bone density. Somekawa studied 478 postmenopausal Japanese women, and found their average intake of isoflavones to be 54 milligrams per day. They found a higher bone density in the higher isoflavone intake group. Their conclusions were “that high consumption of soy products was associated with increased bone mass in postmenopausal women and might be useful for preventing hypoestrogenic effects.”

Genistein was recently found to reduce bone loss and increase bone density in postmenopausal women in a double blind, placebo controlled study by Morabito and colleagues. This study compared 90 healthy post-menopausal women to receive the phytoestrogen genistein, hormone therapy(HT) or placebo.  Measurements were made to determine bone turnover, formation and density at the start of the study and after 6 and 12 months. Results revealed that genistein and HRT both decreased bone turnover and increased bone mineral density over the course of the study. Genistein was well tolerated in this study and was not associated with vaginal bleeding.

A comparison between HT and a soy rich diet was studied by Chiechi with regards to bone turnover and bone mineral density(BMD) in 187 post-menopausal women.  The soy rich diet was not as effective as HRT in reducing bone turnover, but did stimulate bone growth.  This trial suggested that soy protein may be effective in reducing the risk of osteoporosis in post-menopausal women.

A ten week study of postmenopausal Japanese immigrants in Brazil by Yamori using soy isoflavones was performed to determine the effects on bone metabolism. Bone breakdown markers were significantly reduced in the isoflavone group after 10 weeks, demonstrating that dietary intake of soy may inhibit postmenopausal osteoporosis.

Cardiovascular effects

The FDA has stamped their approval of soy dietary supplementation. They state that 25 grams of soy per day with a prudent diet may reduce the risk of heart disease. The FDA did not make clear whether it was specifically the soy protein, the isoflavones, or a combination of both that is responsible for this benefit.  

Researchers have shown major reductions in LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol) with soy intake. It was reported in a recent Ob/Gyn News and the annual scientific sessions of the American Heart Association that high blood levels of soy phytoestrogen were associated with favorable lipid levels in women with suspected myocardial ischemia. These effects were independent of and additive to the benefits of hormone replacement therapy upon serum lipids. Dr. Bairey Merz studied 239 subjects as part of a subset participating in the Women's Ischemia Syndrome Evaluation study who underwent coronary angiography for suspected myocardial ischemia. There was apparently a highly significant relationship between soy phytoestrogen and blood levels of lipids. The higher the phytoestrogen level the closer to normal level of LDL cholesterol.

A review of 38 studies on the effects of soy rich diets found an association of reduced total cholesterol (9%), bad (LDL) cholesterol (13%), and triglycerides (11%) with an average intake of 47 grams per day.

Soy phytoestrogen supplementation was found to have a beneficial effect on specific markers in postmenopausal women with diabetes, thus improving their cardiovascular risk profile.  Thirty two post-menopausal women with diabetes were studied using a dietary supplement of soy protein compared to placebo over 12 weeks.  Results revealed soy phytoestrogens favorably altered insulin levels, sugar control and cholesterol levels which was felt to improve their cardiac risk.

Soy intake resulted in significant reductions in risk factors for osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease in postmenopausal women.  Forty two postmenopausal women consumed three servings of soy foods over 12 weeks containing 60 milligrams per day of isoflavones. Results showed that soy intake reduced several clinical risk factors for cardiac disease and osteoporosis.
.
What are the recommended Preparations/Dosages?


Current recommendations
for phytoestrogen intake are as follows:


1) 40 to 160 milligrams of isoflavones per day may be beneficial.


2) 25 grams of soy protein via dietary intake. This equates to approximately 1/2 cup dried soy beans -or- 1 cup tofu -or- 1/3 cup isolated soy protein.

3) You can easily control your isoflavone intake level with Revival Soy. For example, if you want to consume 80 milligrams of isoflavones per day, simply enjoy 1/2 of a naturally concentrated Revival bar or shake daily (each bar or shake contains 160 milligrams of soy isoflavones).  Click here to learn more and try Revival Soy.....


What about side effects?


Fortunately, phytoestrogens are well tolerated. Minor stomach cramps and bloating can be associated with intake of soy foods that contain starches. No significant change in vaginal bleeding patterns has been reported with soy supplementation.  Excessive soy intake can be associated with thyroid goiter formation.  However, this has been linked more to the lack of iodine in the diet and is unlikely to be a problem in individuals who consume an average amount of soy in their diets and who maintain a healthy diet.

 
"));