Learn How To Use Soy Products For Menopause Relief

By Carla A. Demtrius


Women between the ages of forty and sixty years usually experience menopause. This is a normal stage of life that typically occurs when the ovaries stop producing the progesterone and estrogen hormones. These hormones are responsible for the monthly menstrual cycle. The menstrual cycle stops when the ovaries cease producing these hormones.

Many women experience uncomfortable side effects like vaginal dryness and hot flashes due to the drop in hormone production. Fortunately, simple dietary changes can minimize some of these menopausal symptoms. One of these changes is increasing the intake of soy foods. You can use soy products for menopause relief.

Soybeans are rich in protein and they also contain fiber and Isoflavones. Isoflavones are a type of phytoestogen. Some plants contain these chemicals, which work as estrogen in the body. Phytoestrogens are beneficial for health. The latest evidence comes from a review of 19 case studies involving more than 1,200 women.



The interest in soy and menopause stems from Japan where researchers found that the low frequency of hot flashes could be attributed to the consumption of high levels of soy products in their lifespan. Soy is still helpful even for women who have never consumed it in their life. Even though phytoestrogens are effective in reliving hot flashes, they may fail to totally eliminate this menopausal symptom if it is severe. Just like with other natural approaches, it is essential to allow sufficient time for the treatment to take effect. In general, you can expect to see results after 4 to 12 days.

According to some experts, most menopausal women now use natural remedies to cope with symptoms like night sweating, hot flashes and mood swings. They do this because they are afraid of the side effects of hormone replacement therapy. Several studies show that women who take a large amount of soy based phytoestrogens experience fewer menopausal complications.

The various soy products that you can use for menopause relief include tofu, soy milk, soy nuts, edamame, soy burgers, soy hot dogs, miso and soy ice cream among other foods that have soy. Researchers have not documented any risks of taking soy foods or supplements every day. Nevertheless, the digestive system of some people can be upset because of eating many of soy foods. Research studies have not documented the effects of following a diet high in soy for many years. You should aim to consume average amounts of soy.

Isoflavones are short acting. When using soy products for health reasons, it is advisable to try to ingest 40 to 80 milligrams of isoflavones daily. You should also remember that soy protein is not the same as soy isoflavone. Therefore, high protein soy foods may not contain a large amount of isoflavones in them.

Apart from taking soy products for hot flashes, you can utilize them for caring for the skin. Soy is beneficial for skin in a number of ways. If you use soy products for skin care, you can tighten sagging skin, reduce wrinkles and reverse sun damage. Soy is a good moisturizer and for this reason, skin care products that contain soy make the skin tone even and have a softening or smoothing effect on the skin.




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