Menopause: What If Estrogen Is Not For You?
(continued)
Different Categories of Alternative Medical Products for Menopause:
1. PHYTOESTROGENS:
These are the compounds that are popularly referred to as the "natural estrogens"; they are derived from plants. There are 3 main groups: isoflavones, lignans, and coumestans. They have several subtypes, which are found in many vegetable products, particularly soy. Isoflavones are considered "weak" estrogen receptor modulators; they mimic the role of estrogen. However, they can mimic the good actions and the not so good- they can also function to block the action of estrogen at some sites (similar to the actions of the "designer estrogens" we're hearing so much about). We're not yet sure which compounds have which actions at which receptor sites. Importantly, while many women are attracted to using phytoestrogens as alternatives to estrogen because they fear breast cancer, it is still unclear whether these herbs are safe for women at risk for breast cancer or its recurrence.
2. SOY:
This made big news this week with the FDA approval to allow soy's role in reducing heart disease risk to be promoted. Various foods are now available in your grocery store, which contain the recommended dose of 6.5 g of soy per serving for a total of 25 g per day. Soy is no longer just tofu and chickpeas: in addition to the growing number of soy foods available, soy also comes in drinks, powders, tablets, and other related supplementary forms. GNC, one of the largest health food store chains, now also has "Soy Centers" in many of its stores so that customers can easily do their comparison shopping as well as pick up complimentary brochures, recipes, and other information. And the various Internet drug store sites provide a valuable source of product information and direct sales.
Medical facts about soy:
Soy contains 3 isoflavones: Daidzin, genistin, and glysitin. In addition to its preventive benefits in cardiovascular disease, soy has been shown to reduce the frequency of hot flashes and to reduce the incidence of osteoporosis.
Six studies have shown that soy isoflavones can reduce the frequency of hot flashes.
In one study from Italy, women using soy supplements with 76 mg of isoflavones reported a 45% decrease in hot flashes over a 12-week period. This study also found that 30% of the women who got a placebo also had reduced frequency of hot flashes.
But much of the "evidence" about soy products is circumstantial, and based on the observation that Japanese women report fewer hot flashes and consume high soy diets. Of course, just because they report fewer hot flashes doesn't mean that they actually have fewer symptoms. Asian women, in general, also report far less pain in labor. And while soy is believed to have a preventive role in osteoporosis, Asian women are at increased risk for osteoporosis.
Soy Products on the Market:
Combinations of isflavones, red clover, and black cohosh with miscellaneous vitamins (e.g. PhytoEstrogen ™; MenoPoise ™
Soy Drink Mixes (e.g. Women's Soy Solution ™)
Soy flour
Soy Supplements (e.g. Healthy Woman ™ pills: 55 mg each)
Soy in the Diet:
To mimic the typical Japanese diet, women should get 60-90 mg of soy isoflavones per day. A cup of tofu has apr. 75 mg; this is the same amount as a half cup of soybeans or 3 cups of soy mild.
Each day, 4,000 women in the United States and Canada reach menopause, which is simply the end of a woman's menstrual cycle. 
