Posted on 07/07/2004 12:04:17 AM PDT by neverdem
CHICAGO, July 6 (Reuters) - Soy protein, a supplement many doctors recommend as a substitute for hormone therapy for postmenopausal women, did not decrease bone loss or affect other symptoms in a study of Dutch women, researchers reported Tuesday.
Naturally occurring compounds called isoflavones, which are found in soybeans, are thought to mimic estrogen compounds in hormone therapy.
Some women want to avoid hormone therapy because recent studies have indicated that long-term use could raise the risk of stroke, dementia and some forms of cancer.
In the new study, which followed 175 Dutch women for a year, half the participants consumed a soy protein supplement daily, and the other half took a milk-based protein. Researchers found that soy protein did not affect declining bone-mineral density, elevated cholesterol or concentration problems associated with menopause.
However, the researchers said the study might not be conclusive because of the women's relatively advanced age, which ranged from 60 to 75, when menopausal symptoms might already be entrenched.
For instance, loss of bone mineral density is often greater when menopause begins and then tends to slow, said the lead researcher, Sanne Kreijkamp-Kaspers of the University Medical Center in Utrecht in the Netherlands.
Though soy protein can still be a healthy source of protein, its effect on menopausal symptoms needs to be studied further, Dr. Kreijkamp-Kaspers wrote in the report, which was published in The Journal of the American Medical Association.
PING
I don't really mind hot flashes and the other normal symptoms associated with menopause, except that I don't want my body to deteriorate.
I've been keeping up on exercise, eating a yogurt that's very high in calcium and low in fat and sugar, spreading out my meals, and getting sunshine to activate vitamin D.
My doctor is nuts, though. He lectures me for not taking drugs.
Sadly, many are like that. They see aging as a disease, not a normal process.
"My doctor is nuts, though. He lectures me for not taking drugs."
Mine too. Told me for years that I was too young to be going through menopause, until I was forced to go off the pill for other reasons and...surprise!...was found to be POST-menopausal. (I had to insist on the test for this, BTW, instead of the pregnancy test they wanted to do.) In 20 minutes, the good doc went from saying "Menopause...see me in 15 years!" to "Well, you're post-menopausal...we need to get you on HRT right away!" This was two years before HRT was shot down in the U.S., but thanks to the internet I'd done my homework and refused it. Educate yourself... it's entirely possible you'll be far better informed than your doctor. BTW, my doc was a female.
lift weights
What is the point of this article at all? The sample size is way too small; the time-line too short, and to top it all, the women involved must all be well into menopause. I am tired of these newsmorons writing articles about things they obviously don't understand. Where was the editor on this?
I can believe this. It has long been accepted that soy supplements are not good for women with a history of breast cancer. I think it is the gigantic condensed amounts of estrogen like substances that is the problem. It seem that if one is going to do soy they need to get it from food sources rather than from supplements.
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