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Find Out More About Using Soy Products For Menopause Relief

By Kendra L. Linhardt


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.

The soybean differs from other plant foods because it contains high levels of protein, fiber and isoflavones. Isoflavones are an estrogen that occurs naturally in legumes. They function in the same way as estrogen in the body and have several health benefits. This was confirmed in 19 recent studies that were done on more than one thousand two hundred 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.

Some experts state that the majority of women use natural remedies in order to cope with symptoms such as night sweating, mood swings and hot flashes. The reason for this is that they fear side effects experienced when using hormone replacement therapy. According to various studies, women who consume large amount of soybeans that have phytoestrogens are less likely to experience menopausal complications.

Some of the soy products you can use include soy milk, tofu, edamame, soy nuts, soy hot dogs, soy burgers, soy ice cream, miso and many other foods to which soy protein or soy has been added. Using soy products daily has no known risks. However, for some individuals, soy foods upset the digestive system. The long term effects of a diet high in soy have not been studied well. Your goal should be to consume an average amount of soy in your diet.

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.

Besides using soy products for hot flashes or other symptoms of menopause, women can also use soy products for skin care. Soy is beneficial for skin in various ways. The moisturizers which contain soy can help reverse sun damage, reduce lines and tighten sagging skin. These moisturizers also help make skin smoother or softer and enhance the skin tone.




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