Soy may Not Ease Menopause Symptoms

While soy is thought of being the best alternative to hormone replacement therapy for women to relieve their menopause symptoms, a new study suggests that it is no better than a placebo even though a number of different studies have revealed that it is effective in easing menopause symptoms. The study, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, was conducted by researchers from the University of Miami and involved 250 women who were randomly given placebo or soy protein tablets.

The researchers periodically analyzed the participants over a period of two years and found that there was no marked difference in the instances of hot flashes or the loss of bone density, which is a common symptom of menopause.

Stating that there was no benefit in taking the tablets, lead researcher Dr Silvina Levis said, “My advice would be that women should reconsider taking these products for menopausal symptoms. We found soy isoflavone tablets did not provide any benefit. We did not look at soy foods but I suspect these too would probably not be helpful.”

Source-Medindia