Posts Tagged "soy isoflavones"

The Great Pretender

Posted by Liz on Sep 20, 2008 in herbal medicine | 2 comments

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8o8VVczCOkI&feature=related]

Back in June, I wrote a post about the dangers of buying herbs for menopause right off the shelves.  Consumerlabs.com is now reporting that testing shows great variation in the amount and quality of herbal menopausal products., including supplements containing black cohosh, soy isoflavones, red clover isoflavones and also, progesterone creams.

For example:

• One supplement contained only 30% isoflavones despite a guarantee and another, only 65% of a specific type.
• Two products failed to comply with FDA labeling that require detailed information on plant parts used as ingredients.
• Lead contamination was found in one product.

On a more positive note, ConsumerLab found that seven soy isoflavone products met their quality standards and provided at least 50 mg to 70 mg total soy isoflavones, which is the amount research has associated with relieving hot flashes.  Additionally,

• Two red clover isoflavone products contained the correct amount (40 mg) associated with hot flash reduction.
• Six black cohosh products met quality standards.
• The progesterone creams tests provided the listed amount of progesterone, which ranged from 15 to 21 mg per gm.

You can read more about the tests at the company website.

So, what’s the take-away message from this research?

As Ellen Stern mentioned during our interview a few months ago, it’s critical to look for standardized herbs, meaning that they have undergone rigorous manufacturing practice and protocols to insure quality. She also recommended that search for “standardized x extract” on the American Botanical Council website. Finally a simple rule of thumb is that the least expensive product is not always going to be the best choice.

Soy! Oh Boy!

Posted by Liz on Aug 27, 2008 in hot flash, nightsweats, women's health | 10 comments

It’s Wednesday, meaning that it’s time for me to debunk a popular myth about menopause or provide you with a bit of inspiration for hump day.

Tongues have been wagging a lot about soy isoflavones (plant-based compounds with estrogen-like properties)  with the most disturbing reports linking high doses to genetic damage and stimulation of estrogen receptors to promote breast cancer.

So, do you need to be worried if your current menopause diet includes lots of soy? (You can read more about the potential benefits of soy here.) Evidently, the answer is NO!

According to a newly published study in the Menopause Journal, unconjugated forms of soy isoflavones are safe and well tolerated at daily doses as high as 900 mg/day. (Unconjugated forms are more readily absorbed into the bloodstream.)

In this study, researchers administered soy isoflavones or placebo to 30 postmenopausal women for 84 days.  The goals of the study were to measure DNA damage, cell death and any changes that would indicate that estrogen was stimulated (which might lead to tumor growth). The researchers found no indication that high (900 mg) daily doses of soy caused DNA damage, increased cell death or affected estrogen. What’s more, any side effects (ocurring in only 1 woman) were mild or moderate in severity.

Granted, the study population is quite small and more data are needed to confirm these findings. Neverthless, the researchers do conclude that despite the considerable debate over the negative, estrogen-related effects of soy isoflavones, findings suggest only minimal effects.

If you are currently using soy isoflavones as a strategy to combat vasomotors symptoms like hot flashes and night sweats, eat with ease. It appears that you are not increasing your breast cancer risk. Nevertheless, as my grandmother used to say “everything in moderation.”

Happy News for Wednesday!

[Cross-posted at EmpowHer.com]