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Find Out More About Using Soy Products For Menopause Relief

By Carla A. Demtrius


All women experience menopause after attaining the age of 40 to 60 years. This is a time when the ovaries do not produce the estrogen and progesterone hormones. These hormones control the menstrual cycle and after the ovaries stop secreting them, the menstrual cycle stops.

Many women experience uncomfortable side effects like vaginal dryness and hot flashes due to the drop in hormone production. Fortunately, simple dietary changes can minimize some of these menopausal symptoms. One of these changes is increasing the intake of soy foods. You can use soy products for menopause relief.

Soybeans are rich in protein and they also contain fiber and Isoflavones. Isoflavones are a type of phytoestogen. Some plants contain these chemicals, which work as estrogen in the body. Phytoestrogens are beneficial for health. The latest evidence comes from a review of 19 case studies involving more than 1,200 women.



The interest in soy and menopause stems from Japan where researchers found that the low frequency of hot flashes could be attributed to the consumption of high levels of soy products in their lifespan. Soy is still helpful even for women who have never consumed it in their life. Even though phytoestrogens are effective in reliving hot flashes, they may fail to totally eliminate this menopausal symptom if it is severe. Just like with other natural approaches, it is essential to allow sufficient time for the treatment to take effect. In general, you can expect to see results after 4 to 12 days.

Some experts state that the majority of women use natural remedies in order to cope with symptoms such as night sweating, mood swings and hot flashes. The reason for this is that they fear side effects experienced when using hormone replacement therapy. According to various studies, women who consume large amount of soybeans that have phytoestrogens are less likely to experience menopausal complications.

Some of the soy products you can use include soy milk, tofu, edamame, soy nuts, soy hot dogs, soy burgers, soy ice cream, miso and many other foods to which soy protein or soy has been added. Using soy products daily has no known risks. However, for some individuals, soy foods upset the digestive system. The long term effects of a diet high in soy have not been studied well. Your goal should be to consume an average amount of soy in your diet.

The effects of isoflavones do not last very long. Therefore soy supplements or foods should be taken several times a day. Ideally, women should ingest forty to eighty milligrams of isoflavones every day. They should also note that soy protein differs from soy isoflavone. Although some soy foods contain high protein, they do not have a high amount of isoflavones.

Apart from using soy products for hot flashes and other menopausal symptoms, you can also use them for skin care. Soy is known to have several positive effects on the skin. Using soy products for skin care is a great way to tighten sagging skin, reverse sun damage and diminish wrinkles. Soy acts as a good moisturizer. Moisturizers that contain soy have a smoothing or softening effect. They also help even out the skin tone.




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