(CNN) A new study has found that plant-based supplements can provide some relief from menopausal symptoms. More than half of menopausal women experience hot flashes. Although prescription hormone therapy effectively treats this condition, many women are concerned about the potential negative health effects of these medications and choose to use herbal medicine instead.
A new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that plant-based supplements moderately reduce hot flashes and vaginal dryness as a result of phytoestrogens.
“Phytoestrogens are clinical compounds found in plants that are very similar to the female hormone estrogen,” explained Dr. Taulant Muka, lead author of the new study. Researchers at Erasmus University Medical Center in the Netherlands. Soybeans and soybean supplements are the richest sources of certain phytoestrogens known as isoflavones.
life changes
Menopausal symptoms are not only inconvenient and embarrassing, but they’re also associated with an increased risk of heart disease, Muka says. Her previous analysis comparing women with and without menopausal symptoms suggested that hot flashes, night sweats, and other symptoms equated to an increased risk of coronary heart disease, stroke, and cardiovascular disease. There is.
Hormone therapies, such as pills, patches, sprays, gels, and vaginal rings, are the most commonly used regimens to treat hot flashes and other menopausal symptoms. Studies have linked hormone replacement therapy to an increased risk of breast and uterine cancer. Other studies have shown that it has a neutral effect on cardiovascular health when used immediately after menopause, but the effects become increasingly unfavorable later in a woman’s life.
These findings help explain why many women (up to 50% in Western countries, according to Muka) choose alternative treatments rather than prescription hormones to relieve menopausal symptoms.
To understand whether they actually work, Muka and colleagues scoured hundreds of scientific papers and found 62 that evaluated the effectiveness of plant-based therapies in treating hot flashes, night sweats, and vaginal dryness. The paper was analyzed. A total of 6,653 women participated in a study of alternative, traditional, or Chinese medicine therapies including soy, ginseng, black cohosh, and St. John’s wort.
Researchers found that phytoestrogens were effective in slightly reducing hot flashes and vaginal dryness, although night sweats continued. Specifically, phytoestrogens reduced the total number of hot flashes in women by an average of 1.31 times per day.
While this may be enough of an improvement for some women, Dr. Joanne V. Pinkerton, executive director of the North American Menopause Society, says the Food and Drug Administration should consider the number of hot flashes per day when evaluating treatments. It points out that they are calling for a reduction of at least two times. Approved. However, the FDA does not review or regulate herbal supplements of any kind.
Professor Pinkerton also points out that the new study does not distinguish between women who have a lot of hot flashes and those who have few. Based on the frequency of symptoms, certain women may find phytoestrogens more or less effective.
Excellent equol?
“Overall, we didn’t find an association between phytoestrogens and night sweats,” Muka says, but a single experiment with red clover found that it reduced the frequency of night sweats. However, this alone is not enough to draw firm conclusions.
“The main concern in our study was the length of follow-up,” Muka said. Because most of his studies involved just 12 to 16 weeks of follow-up, he and his colleagues are investigating the long-term effects of phytoestrogens, and whether they may have negative effects over time. cannot be defined.
“In general, when women use any supplements, they should be aware that the doses and amounts of supplements they purchase may vary, and that there may be risks with long-term use,” Pinkerton says. pointed out that it is unclear whether it contains isoflavones. It may increase a woman’s risk of breast cancer.
In fact, the North American Menopause Society conducted the following research: All non-hormonal treatments for menopausal symptoms began in 2015.
“NAMS believes that until there is a stable supplement that is well-tested in randomized controlled trials so women can know exactly what they are taking and whether it is working, We advise caution,” Pinkerton said.
However, he has high hopes for the soybean supplement “equol,” which is still being tested. This phytoestrogen, also available in Japan, appears to be effective in reducing hot flashes, but its chemical effects do not stimulate breast cancer.
