Why Soy Products For Menopause Relief Is Not Recommended

By Graciela Wynn Chavez


Over the past years, there has been popular belief that the use of soy and its constituent products goes a long way in treating several diseases for example the heart disease, osteoporosis as well as cancer-related illnesses. Inasmuch as this may be true, the norm that soy and its products reduces the effects of menopausal symptoms is not validated, neither is it factual. There are many forms of soy, for instance soy milk, soy cheese, soy meat and soy beans, among others. There has also been emergence of powdered soy as well as soy for menopause relief, as produced by some companies.

Soy is extremely rich in isoflavones, some types of phytoestrogen. Phytoestrogens are simply chemicals embedded in plants that are characterized as having similar functions with estrogens. It is argued that the body can synthesize them to work similarly with estrogens.



Hitherto, there has been alternative ways of treating women in menopausal, for example by dint of conventional medicines, but in the recent past, the use of natural approaches to relieve discomforts associated with menopausal has become exceedingly popular. This has since prompted the foods and supplement industries to make alternatives to the traditional conventional pharmaceutical estrogens like Premarin. In consequence, the soy foods industry has benefited most from this quest for natural solutions for menopausal, arguably because of soys high content of phytoestrogen.

The message that soy phytoestrogens act in similar capacity as surrogate estrogens has been widely spread, and this thereby gives women the general impression that they can alternatively prefer soy products to relieve symptoms of dwindling estrogen levels at their menopausal stage, albeit naturally. However, the research does not confirm that isoflavones act as estrogens, and therefore the conclusion that they are all a woman needs to alleviate her menopausal symptoms, cannot be completely validated.

That said, it is also worth noting that soy phytoestrogens do not have many positive effects on vasomotor signs, for example vaginal dryness, hot flashes and also night sweats. Recent researches carried out by multiple organizations and health agencies revealed that women who utilized phytoestrogen-rich soy products noticed a reduction in the ramifications of their hot flashes, by up to fifty percent.

However, while these soy estrogens diminish the effects of these hot flashes, they are clearly incomparable to conventional estrogens, which more often than not, eliminate hot flashes completely, and quicker. The isoflavones in soya, it has been confirmed by several recent studies, are inhibitors of aromatase, and this thereby lowers the estrogen levels made in the body. This is counterproductive in the control of vasomotor symptoms.

New studies however reveal that the consumption of soy products does not effectively hot flashes, bone loss and other uncomfortable symptoms associated with menopause. Isoflavones, hormonal mimics, instead disrupt the delicate hormonal systems in the body and also act as goitrogens- substances that end up suppressing the thyroid function.

In conclusion, soy foods do not effectively treat menopausal symptoms. Menopause, being a natural condition, does not require medical intervention. Its approach therefore majorly involves proper diet, exercising and other lifestyle-related strategies. These lifestyle strategies have been confirmed to play a vital role in relieving menopausal discomforts, relative to the use of soy products.




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