Daily Soy Reduces Hot Flashes and Lowers Cholesterol
ACOG NEWS RELEASEFor Release February 28, 2002
Daily Soy Reduces Hot Flashes and Lowers Cholesterol
WASHINGTON, DC — — Taking 100 mg of soy isoflavone daily may be a safe and effective alternative therapy to relieve menopausal symptoms and also may offer heart protection by lowering cholesterol levels, according to a study in the March issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology.
Researchers in Brazil found that menopausal women who took 100 mg of soy isoflavone a day for four months reported a significant decrease in hot flashes and other menopausal symptoms compared to women on placebo. The women who took daily soy isoflavone also showed significant decreases in both total cholesterol levels and low-density lipoprotein (or so-called “bad cholesterol”) levels compared to the placebo group.
The researchers found that, unlike conventional estrogen replacement therapy in which prolonged exposure to unopposed estrogens stimulates growth of the endometrium — thereby increasing the risk of endometrial cancer — daily soy isoflavones did not significantly increase endometrial thickness.
Contact: Edmund C. Baracat, MD, PhD, Federal University of Sao Paulo, Department of Gynecology, Sao Paulo, Brazil, at baracat.toco@epm.br.
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Studies published in Obstetrics & Gynecology, the peer-reviewed scientific journal of The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) do not necessarily reflect the policies or opinions of ACOG. ACOG is the national medical organization representing nearly 40,000 physicians who provide health care for women.
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