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.
Soy has high contents of isoflavones. These are types of phytoestrogen. Phytoestrogens are basically chemicals found in plants that work similarly like estrogens. To some extent, the human body can alternatively use them just like estrogens.
Hitherto, there has been alternative ways of treating women in menopausal, for example by dint of conventional medicines, but in the recent past, the use of natural approaches to relieve discomforts associated with menopausal has become exceedingly popular. This has since prompted the foods and supplement industries to make alternatives to the traditional conventional pharmaceutical estrogens like Premarin. In consequence, the soy foods industry has benefited most from this quest for natural solutions for menopausal, arguably because of soys high content of phytoestrogen.
The message that soy phytoestrogens act in similar capacity as surrogate estrogens has been widely spread, and this thereby gives women the general impression that they can alternatively prefer soy products to relieve symptoms of dwindling estrogen levels at their menopausal stage, albeit naturally. However, the research does not confirm that isoflavones act as estrogens, and therefore the conclusion that they are all a woman needs to alleviate her menopausal symptoms, cannot be completely validated.
Soy and its various forms have no notable impact in eliminating vasomotor signs like vaginal dryness and hot flashes. Research confirms that they only help to negligibly reduce their intensity, and not necessarily eliminating them like the conventional medicines do.Additionally, soy foods encompass anti nutritional factors like oxalates, protease inhibitors, saponins and soya toxins, among others.
However, while these soy estrogens diminish the effects of these hot flashes, they are clearly incomparable to conventional estrogens, which more often than not, eliminate hot flashes completely, and quicker. The isoflavones in soya, it has been confirmed by several recent studies, are inhibitors of aromatase, and this thereby lowers the estrogen levels made in the body. This is counterproductive in the control of vasomotor symptoms.
The use of soy does not effectively solve the menace of hot flashes or any other discomforts of menopause. The hormonal mimics they harbor, called isoflavones, instead, cause disruptions to the hormonal systems of the body, which are highly delicate. Further disorders like insomnia and mood swings among others, are also resultant.
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.