Almost all health-related magazines, documentaries and TV shows have hitherto, shouted out the myriad benefits of soy and its products in a wide range of health complications, spanning from breast cancer, osteoporosis, and the heart illness. Examples of soy products include soy milk, soy beans, soy cheese, and soy protein, among others. Some companies have also developed some soy pills and powders from soy phytochemicals, and have widely pronounced them to be natural healers for menopausal discomforts, and also other illnesses. It is not however not authenticated that soy products for menopause relief play a vital role in managing menopause symptoms.
However, all these soy extracts are not safe solutions for menopause relief, as will be discussed below. It is undeniably true that soy is rich in isoflavones, which are type of phytoestrogen. Phytoestrogens are chemical elements found in plants, and which play similar roles with estrogens. The human body can substitute them for estrogens.
Since time immemorial, menopause-related symptoms have usually been treated using conventional medicines. However, of late, women have been found to be more intrigued in using natural mechanisms to alleviate these discomforts. Natural approaches have been widely approved by large masses of people, and this has been poised to be the reason behind the making of alternatives to these conventional healers by many supplement and food industries, like the soy foods industry.
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.
It is important to note that soy phytoestrogens have minimal impact on vasomotor symptoms like night sweats, vaginal dryness and hot flashes. Studies relieved that women who made use of soy products that are phytoestrogen-rich realized a thirty five to fifty percent decrease in the intensity of their hot flashes.
These soy phytoestrogens and estrogens however, only diminish the impact and intensity of hot flashes, and not completely eradicating them, like conventional estrogens which eliminate them in a faster fashion. The isoflavones in soy products are aromatase inhibitors, and this reduces the levels of estrogen made in the body. This is as confirmed by several recent studies. This is contradictory to earlier claims that they aid in the treatment 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.
Conclusively, though there has been a speculation that the use of soy and its products helps in the managing of menopause discomforts, there is no valid proof for this.
However, all these soy extracts are not safe solutions for menopause relief, as will be discussed below. It is undeniably true that soy is rich in isoflavones, which are type of phytoestrogen. Phytoestrogens are chemical elements found in plants, and which play similar roles with estrogens. The human body can substitute them for estrogens.
Since time immemorial, menopause-related symptoms have usually been treated using conventional medicines. However, of late, women have been found to be more intrigued in using natural mechanisms to alleviate these discomforts. Natural approaches have been widely approved by large masses of people, and this has been poised to be the reason behind the making of alternatives to these conventional healers by many supplement and food industries, like the soy foods industry.
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.
It is important to note that soy phytoestrogens have minimal impact on vasomotor symptoms like night sweats, vaginal dryness and hot flashes. Studies relieved that women who made use of soy products that are phytoestrogen-rich realized a thirty five to fifty percent decrease in the intensity of their hot flashes.
These soy phytoestrogens and estrogens however, only diminish the impact and intensity of hot flashes, and not completely eradicating them, like conventional estrogens which eliminate them in a faster fashion. The isoflavones in soy products are aromatase inhibitors, and this reduces the levels of estrogen made in the body. This is as confirmed by several recent studies. This is contradictory to earlier claims that they aid in the treatment 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.
Conclusively, though there has been a speculation that the use of soy and its products helps in the managing of menopause discomforts, there is no valid proof for this.
About the Author:
Learn more about soy products for hot flashes. Stop by soy.com where you can find out all about soy shakes for heart health and what it can do for you.
