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Why Soy Products For Menopause Relief Is Not Recommended

By Graciela Wynn Chavez


Over the past years, there has been popular belief that the use of soy and its constituent products goes a long way in treating several diseases for example the heart disease, osteoporosis as well as cancer-related illnesses. Inasmuch as this may be true, the norm that soy and its products reduces the effects of menopausal symptoms is not validated, neither is it factual. There are many forms of soy, for instance soy milk, soy cheese, soy meat and soy beans, among others. There has also been emergence of powdered soy as well as soy for menopause relief, as produced by some companies.

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.



Menopausal-related disorders such as night sweats and hot flashes have originally been treated using conventional medicines. However, the inference that soy and its various forms is rich in phytoestrogen which acts like estrogen in reducing the wrath of menopausal discomforts has made many people prefer it to the previous treatment methods, most especially because it is natural. Soy food industries as well as other supplement industries have since embarked on developing alternative treatment methods of menopause symptoms, by dint of soy.

The soy food industries have taken advantage of the fact that soy contains high rates of phytoestrogen, which behaves like estrogen. This makes people prefer them to other medicines, majorly because of their natural factor, in reducing the uncomfortable effects of low estrogen levels that is experienced in the course of menopause. Nevertheless, it is not yet absolutely confirmed if isoflavones play similar roles as estrogens. Therefore, the inference that soy products are all that a woman suffering from menopausal symptoms needs to check the menace is not completely appropriate.

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.

Recent studies reveal that the use of soy foods does not completely eradicate discomforts of menopause or menopausal symptoms, and instead, the isoflavones contained in them act as goitrogens, and hence suppress ones thyroid functions. Suppression of the thyroid further leads to other health disorders like difficulties in losing weight, hardships in losing weight, insomnia, mood swings and general anxiety, digestive problems and food allergies, among many others.

The two most harmful soy foods are soy protein powders and infant soy formula. Soy has been linked to malnutrition, breakdown of the immune system, dysfunction of thyroid functions, cognitive decline, infertility, digestive distress, alongside a couple of other demerits.These reports therefore contradict earlier claims that soy foods play a great role in eradicating a host of health-related problems.

This further causes several disorders like insomnia, anxiety, mood swings, digestive problems and other food allergies. The most harmful forms of soya are argued to be infant soy formula and soy protein powders. In conclusion, it is clear that though soy products can play some part in alleviating discomforts associated with menopause, it has not been confirmed that they are completely effective.




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