Hot flushes, night sweats, brain fog? Here's what we know about phytoestrogens for menopausal symptoms
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Monday, June 5, 2023
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Hot flushes and night sweats are the most common of these, affecting 75% of women and the symptom for which most women seek treatment.
Key Points:
- Hot flushes and night sweats are the most common of these, affecting 75% of women and the symptom for which most women seek treatment.
- In Australia it is estimated more than one-third of women seek complementary or alternative medicines to manage menopausal symptoms.
What’s on the market?
- They include everything from mind-body practices (hypnosis, cognitive behavioural therapy and meditation) to alternative medicine approaches (traditional Chinese medicine and acupuncture) and natural products (herbal and dietary supplements).
- There is some evidence to support the use of hypnosis and cognitive behaviour therapy for the treatment of hot flushes.
- But there is less certainty around the benefit of other commonly used complementary and alternative medicines, particularly nutritional supplements.
What are phytoestrogens?
- There are numerous types including isoflavones, coumestans and lignans.
- In the latter category, extracts from soy and red clover yield isoflavones and flaxseed gives us lignans.
What does the evidence say?
- Overall, evidence regarding the benefit of phytoestrogens for hot flushes is fairly mixed.
- A Cochrane review synthesised study results and failed to find conclusive evidence phytoestrogens, in food or supplement form, reduced the frequency or severity of hot flushes or night sweats in perimenopausal or postmenopausal women.
- Another recent study showed marked reductions in hot flushes in women following a low fat, vegan diet supplemented with daily soybeans.
Can phytoestrogens help the psychological symptoms of menopause?
- Less research has explored whether phytoestrogens improve psychological symptoms of menopause, such as depression, anxiety and brain fog.
- A recent systematic review and meta-analysis found phytoestrogens reduce depression in post- but not perimenopausal women.
The bottom line
- If you do wish to see if they might work for you, start by including more phytoestrogen-rich foods in your diet.
- Examples include tempeh, soybeans, tofu, miso, soy milk (from whole soybeans), oats, barley, quinoa, flaxseeds, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, almonds, chickpeas, lentils, red kidney beans and alfalfa.
- Try including one to two serves per day for around three months and monitor symptoms.