MENOPAUSE FLUSHING: ARE PHYTOESTROGEN POWDERS AND PILLS SAFE TO TAKE?
British researchers last year found that eating about two ounces of soy powder containing 45 mg of isoflavones each day for just two weeks stimulated the proliferation of epithelial breast cells in premenopausal women.
An earlier U.S. study found an increase in breast cell proliferation in more than a quarter of women given a daily soy protein beverage with 38 mg of isoflavones. Anyone who has had breast cancer should stick to soy foods (like tofu), not supplement pills or powders. Consider Black Cohosh, which you can buy as tablets from health food stores. Black cohosh is a plant from the buttercup family, Cimcifuga racimosa. There is some evidence (Therapeuticon 1987;1:23-31) that it really can help menopausal symptoms such as sweating and flushes. However, it can cause gut symptoms, headache and dizziness, and you should avoid it if you are taking medication for high blood pressure.
Nutribread for Women is available from Waitrose supermarket. It contains phytoestrogens, calcium and evening primrose oil, and is low in salt.
Other herbal remedies are heavily promoted to menopausal women, but there is no good scientific evidence that they are effective.
Dong Quai is a Chinese plant, Angelica sinensis. A study gave it to some menopausal women, and gave others a dummy tablet. There was no difference in effect between dong quai and the dummy tablet (Fertility and Sterility 1997;68:981-6). It can act like a blood thinner, so you should avoid it if you are taking anticoagulants, aspirin or similar drugs
Evening primrose oil was tested in a study in which women some women were given dummy capsules and some were given the primrose oil. There was no difference in flushes and night sweats between the dummy capsules and the evening primrose oil (British Medical Journal 1994;308:501-3).
Red clover is claimed to relieve the symptoms of the menopause, but good evidence for any effect is lacking. Some studies have shown no effect at all. Other studies claim to show an effect, but were flawed so cannot be relied on. (Menopause 2001:8:333-7). It can act like a blood thinner, so you should avoid it if you are taking anticoagulants, aspirin or similar drugs.
Ginseng is a herb form China and Korea. 384 women who had menopause symptoms were given either ginseng or a dummy tablet for 4 months. There was no difference between the effect of ginseng or the dummy tablet (International Journal Clinical Pharmacology Research 1999;19:89-99). Ginseng can have some serious side-effects in some people.
An earlier U.S. study found an increase in breast cell proliferation in more than a quarter of women given a daily soy protein beverage with 38 mg of isoflavones. Anyone who has had breast cancer should stick to soy foods (like tofu), not supplement pills or powders. Consider Black Cohosh, which you can buy as tablets from health food stores. Black cohosh is a plant from the buttercup family, Cimcifuga racimosa. There is some evidence (Therapeuticon 1987;1:23-31) that it really can help menopausal symptoms such as sweating and flushes. However, it can cause gut symptoms, headache and dizziness, and you should avoid it if you are taking medication for high blood pressure.
Nutribread for Women is available from Waitrose supermarket. It contains phytoestrogens, calcium and evening primrose oil, and is low in salt.
Other herbal remedies are heavily promoted to menopausal women, but there is no good scientific evidence that they are effective.
Dong Quai is a Chinese plant, Angelica sinensis. A study gave it to some menopausal women, and gave others a dummy tablet. There was no difference in effect between dong quai and the dummy tablet (Fertility and Sterility 1997;68:981-6). It can act like a blood thinner, so you should avoid it if you are taking anticoagulants, aspirin or similar drugs
Evening primrose oil was tested in a study in which women some women were given dummy capsules and some were given the primrose oil. There was no difference in flushes and night sweats between the dummy capsules and the evening primrose oil (British Medical Journal 1994;308:501-3).
Red clover is claimed to relieve the symptoms of the menopause, but good evidence for any effect is lacking. Some studies have shown no effect at all. Other studies claim to show an effect, but were flawed so cannot be relied on. (Menopause 2001:8:333-7). It can act like a blood thinner, so you should avoid it if you are taking anticoagulants, aspirin or similar drugs.
Ginseng is a herb form China and Korea. 384 women who had menopause symptoms were given either ginseng or a dummy tablet for 4 months. There was no difference between the effect of ginseng or the dummy tablet (International Journal Clinical Pharmacology Research 1999;19:89-99). Ginseng can have some serious side-effects in some people.
