Find Out More About Using Soy Products For Menopause Relief

By Carla A. Demtrius


Women between the ages of forty and sixty years usually experience menopause. This is a normal stage of life that typically occurs when the ovaries stop producing the progesterone and estrogen hormones. These hormones are responsible for the monthly menstrual cycle. The menstrual cycle stops when the ovaries cease producing these hormones.

After reaching menopause, most women suffer from uncomfortable side effects such as hot flashes and vaginal dryness because of the diminished levels of hormones in their bodies. Thankfully, women can tweak their diets in order to minimize menopausal symptoms. One of the things they can do is to consume more products that contain soy. Taking soy products for hot flashes is effective.

The soybean differs from other plant foods because it contains high levels of protein, fiber and isoflavones. Isoflavones are an estrogen that occurs naturally in legumes. They function in the same way as estrogen in the body and have several health benefits. This was confirmed in 19 recent studies that were done on more than one thousand two hundred women.



The interest in soy and menopause stems from Japan where researchers found that the low frequency of hot flashes could be attributed to the consumption of high levels of soy products in their lifespan. Soy is still helpful even for women who have never consumed it in their life. Even though phytoestrogens are effective in reliving hot flashes, they may fail to totally eliminate this menopausal symptom if it is severe. Just like with other natural approaches, it is essential to allow sufficient time for the treatment to take effect. In general, you can expect to see results after 4 to 12 days.

According to some experts, most menopausal women now use natural remedies to cope with symptoms like night sweating, hot flashes and mood swings. They do this because they are afraid of the side effects of hormone replacement therapy. Several studies show that women who take a large amount of soy based phytoestrogens experience fewer menopausal complications.

Some soy products that menopausal women can eat or drink are miso, soy ice cream, soy hot dogs, soy nuts, edamame, tofu and soy milk as well as other foods containing soy or soy protein. There are no known risks of consuming foods containing soy every day, even though some people may experience stomach upset. Researchers have not studied the effects of using soy foods for many years. For the best outcome, women should seek to consume just an average amount of soy.

Isoflavones are short acting. When using soy products for health reasons, it is advisable to try to ingest 40 to 80 milligrams of isoflavones daily. You should also remember that soy protein is not the same as soy isoflavone. Therefore, high protein soy foods may not contain a large amount of isoflavones in them.

Besides using soy products for hot flashes or other symptoms of menopause, women can also use soy products for skin care. Soy is beneficial for skin in various ways. The moisturizers which contain soy can help reverse sun damage, reduce lines and tighten sagging skin. These moisturizers also help make skin smoother or softer and enhance the skin tone.




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