Monday July 22, 2002

SOURCE: Foods for the Future

Soy Seen as Replacement for Hormone Therapy Following Study's Warning Against Estrogen

WASHINGTON, July 22 /PRNewswire/ -- There is greatly heightened interest in the role of soyfoods in relief of menopausal symptoms, following a new government report warning against use of estrogen and progestin as hormone replacement therapy (HRT).

Soy intake has long been recommended by some researchers and health advisors as working to relieve menopausal and related conditions, including "hot flashes" and osteoporosis.

Recent studies have confirmed soy's role: In Brazil, researchers found that menopausal women who received daily doses of soy for four months reduced their incidence of hot flashes by 25 percent.

In March, the medical journal Obstetrics and Gynecology reported on a recent study showing that soy does help dampen hot flashes, according to the Food and Fitness Advisor, a publication of Weill Medical College of Cornell University.

Population studies in China and Japan have also shown soy as a possible remedy for menopause symptoms. Soy has a major role in Asian diets.

Interest in soy as a substitute for conventional HRT treatment has increased sharply, according to numerous media reports, following findings of a major study reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association earlier in July.

A seven-year government-sponsored study called HERS, or Heart and Estrogen/Progestin Replacement Study, has confirmed that taking the hormones estrogen and progestin after menopause doesn't reduce heart attacks and can be harmful through continued use.

Time Magazine reported that the study showed "definitive proof" about the intake of estrogen and progestin and said: "The results made public last week proved that taking these hormones together for more than a few years actually increases a woman's risk of developing potentially deadly cardiovascular problems and invasive breast cancer ..."

Meanwhile, Cornell University's Food and Fitness Advisor has listed eight ways "to include more soy in your diet":

Using soy tofu as an ingredient in stir-fried dishes; substituting soy milk in cereal, coffee or tea; eating nutrition bars containing soy protein; buying yogurt made with silken soy instead of milk; using soy protein burgers; eating soy cheese; snacking on soy nuts instead of peanuts, and using soy meat substitutes in pasta sauce and chili.

SOURCE: Foods for the Future

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