Hot flashes are an unpleasant part of menopause that affects nearly all women in the US. Now new research shows a simple and natural way to reduce the frequency of hot flashes. With all the news and studies concerning estrogen and how it is a danger, many women are staying away from using supplemental hormones for controlling symptoms of menopause, including hot flashes. And more and more women are trying dietary methods, such as increasing intake of soy, to treat hot flashes. This is thought to be a significant health benefit of soy in one’s diet.

“In the middle of the night I’d wake up and have to throw the covers off, and think about changing my nightgown,” recalls Phyllis Feder, who is now 60 and almost done with menopause. “I spoke with a nutritionist and a doctor about it and they both said that one of the health benefits of soy was that it reduced some symptoms of menopause. So I decided to try soy products to deal with hot flashes.”
Phyllis was dead on correct, according to new research done at Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital in Boston, which looked at the health benefits of soy. It found women who eat soy and exercise on a regular basis have a marked reduction in the number of hot flashes they experience each day. How do they know that soy and hot flashes treatment are linked?
The fact is, in some Asian countries there isn’t even a word in their languages for hot flashes. This is because the women don’t experience these symptoms. And it’s believed the reason they don’t experience hot flashes is soy. Women from these countries have a very high level of soy in their diet, which should provide researchers with a clear understanding of the health benefits of soy.
It’s thought the active components in soy are chemicals called isoflavones, which safely mimic the effects of estrogen in the body. But the researchers say it’s all the components of soy together acting with the isoflavones which are somehow providing the health benefits of soy. Study researcher Dr. Stacey Panagotopulos says, “Our study has been with whole soy nuts. So there’s no added oil no added salt. It’s just a soy bean that’s been roasted. We looked at the number of hot flashes in the women eating soy and in the control group. We found that hot flashes were reduced in the first group overall by fifty percent.”
And it’s believed because chemicals in the body called endorphins control the temperature regulation centers in the brain, exercise, which causes a boost in endorphins, can control the flashes. The study found by performing 40 minutes a day of non-vigorous exercise like walking, hot flashes were also reduced by almost 50 percent.
The effects of the two together were even better. Dr. Panagotopulos remarks, “You obtain the health benefits of soy whether or not you are exercising. But if your menopausal symptoms are particularly bothersome adding exercise will increase the effectiveness of the soy treatment.”
Phyllis is glad her menopause is now mostly behind her. She believes that the health benefits of soy helped her get through it.
For more information, click here:
http://www.menopause.org/

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