Soy supplements do not help prevent symptoms of menopause, according to the findings of a two-year study conducted at the University of Miami.
Researchers wanted to determine if the widely popular product could preserve bone health and ease symptoms in the first years of menopause.
The results, published in the August 8 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine, show that, contrary to popular belief, soy isoflavone supplements neither prevent bone loss nor reduce menopausal symptoms.
“The consumption of soy foods and soy supplements has dramatically increased in the last few years, particularly among women who start taking various over-the-counter products around the time of menopause, believing that these products will provide all the benefits and none of the risks of menopausal hormone therapy,” said lead author Silvina Levis, M.D., professor of medicine.
“Our study showed that soy phytoestrogen tablets do not provide any benefit, but fortunately do not cause any apparent harm either. The participants had the same rates of bone loss and menopausal symptoms, whether they were taking soy tablets or placebo tablets (sugar pills). The women on the soy tablets actually had more constipation and abdominal bloating.”
The participants, women aged 45 to 60 and within five years of menopause, were randomly assigned, in equal proportions, to receive either daily soy isoflavone tablets or the placebo and were not aware of which they were taking.
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