Soy does not help menopause symptoms

Recently both CNN and The New York Times published articles on the latest research done on whether there are benefits from soy for women in combating menopause symptoms such as hot flashes, night sweats, vaginal dryness, loss of libido and sleep problems. Tests showed that soy did not help women with menopause symptoms. Unfortunately. What this means is that the only know cure for severe menopause symptoms is hormone replacement and the safest type of hormone replacement is through the use of natural bioidentical hormone replacement therapy. Soy isoflavons have therefore, not shown any benefit for women. The article from the New York Times follows:

"Fears about the risks of estrogen replacement therapy have led many women to turn to soy products to treat the symptoms of menopause. But a clinical trial published on Monday in Archives of Internal Medicine has found them no more effective than a placebo.

Researchers at the University of Miami studied 248 women ages 45 to 60. Half were given 200 milligrams of soy isoflavones daily; the rest took a placebo. After two years the scientists tested for changes in bone mineral density and in menopausal symptoms.

Neither the women nor the researchers knew who was taking which pill until the study ended.

Urine tests showed that the women in the soy group had ingested nearly 20 times as much soy as those taking the placebo, but researchers found no significant differences in bone density. There were few serious effects in either group, but women taking soy showed no improvement regarding night sweats, insomnia, loss of libido or vaginal dryness, compared with the placebo group.

“Women should be reconsidering taking these types of products for menopausal health,” said Dr. Silvina Levis, lead author of the study and a professor of medicine at the University of Miami. “We didn’t see any objective clinical benefit for soy isoflavone supplements. We actually saw more constipation, bloating and hot flashes in the women taking soy.”