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"To soy or not to soy, that is the question. Sorry. I couldn&amp;#039;t resist. But seriously, I&amp;#039;ve read conflicting reports about soy and perimenopausal women. Some articles state that increasing soy intake can alleviate hot flashes and other uncomfortable menopausal symptoms; others that it works no better than a placebo; and then there are some medical professionals who urge caution for women who&amp;#039;ve had breast cancer, as researchers aren&amp;#039;t sure of the safety of soy foods in general and soy supplements in particular for these women. What to do? A recent randomized, double-blind study from the State University of Campinas, Brazil gave 60 postmenopausal women, aged 40-60, either soy supplements, Hormone Therapy or a placebo for 16 weeks. How did they fare? Well, surprisingly all three groups reported improved psychological and bodily symptoms, but only the soy and HT group reported significant decreases in hot flashes and muscle pain and decreased vaginal dryness. This is only one study, and certainly not the last word on the subject, but the results look promising. Another recent study showed that a diet rich in soy phyotoestrogens prevented weight gain in postmenopausal rats. First of all, I didn&amp;#039;t know rats went through menopause, and secondly, well, you know we&amp;#039;re not rats so we have to take this study, for now, with a grain of soy. OK. I&amp;#039;ll stop. Promise. But here is something interesting. Researchers at the University of New South Wales in Australia are seeking menopausal women for a new trial on a non-hormonal treatment to relieve symptoms. The substance they are testing is S-equol, which is a by-product metabolized from eating soy \u2013 but here&amp;#039;s the catch: equol is only produced in certain individuals who have the right bacteria in their guts. According to the article, 80% of people in Japan and China have the bacteria to produce equol, whereas only 25% of westerners do. Now if I were living in Sydney, this is one trial I&amp;#039;d gladly be a guinea pig for. What about you, reader? Isn&amp;#039;t in Spring in Australia now? "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.womansday.com/health-fitness/a45478/to-soy-love-1876/?src=shelter_footer>