At the onset of menopause, 50 to 80 percent of women in Western countries experience natural accompanying symptoms such as hot flashes, night sweats, sleep disturbances, dizziness, irritability, anxiety, restlessness, dejection and lack of drive. Twenty-five percent of cases require therapeutic treatment. Soy isoflavones have proven to be a gentle, herbal and at the same time effective therapeutic alternative to alleviate the symptoms.
The Asian diet
The striking lack of symptoms during menopause in women in East and Southeast Asia, as well as their resistance to osteoporosis and arteriosclerosis, is significantly related to soy-rich diets, according to observations. Soybeans contain isoflavones, also known as plant hormones or phytoestrogens, which have hormone-like effects.
On average, in Japan and China, about 40-50 mg of isoflavones are consumed daily with soy foods. In Europe, on the other hand, only about 5 mg of isoflavones per day are consumed with food.
Menopause
Menopause is not a disease, but a natural physiological process. During menopause, estrogen production in particular decreases and the woman’s body adjusts.
At the beginning, 50 to 80 percent of women in Western countries experience natural accompanying symptoms such as hot flashes, night sweats, sleep disorders, dizziness, irritability, anxiety, restlessness, dejection and lack of drive. 25 percent of cases require therapeutic treatment. From a medical point of view, the aim here is to alleviate severe menopausal symptoms with the help of hormone replacement therapy and, in particular, to prevent the late effects such as osteoporosis and cardiovascular diseases.
The alternative
Soy isoflavones have been shown to be a gentle, herbal, yet effective alternative therapy for relieving symptoms. Clinical studies show that soy isoflavones reduce hot flashes and sweating, have a positive effect on cardiovascular functions and bone metabolism, and can help reduce the risk of breast cancer. Soy isoflavones have the ability to gently compensate for estrogen deficiencies.
In addition, they are able to counteract hormonal peaks that often occur at the beginning of menopause due to extreme estrogen fluctuations. Therefore, a regular intake of soy isoflavones can support hormone therapy in a meaningful way and can also be of great importance, especially for prevention.
How can the requirement be met?
To meet a daily requirement of 50 mg of isoflavones, a daily consumption of about 200g of tofu or ½ liter of soy milk would be required. However, due to our dietary habits, increasing soy consumption can be difficult to implement in practice. Here, dietary supplements with a standardized content of soy isoflavones enable regular and convenient coverage of daily vital substance requirements.
