Soy for menopause
Menopause is a stage in women's lives when their bodies lose the ability to sufficiently reproduce important hormones such as estrogen and progesterone. Women usually experience such a hormone imbalance around the age of 40 and via post menopause such a stage of life can continue for years to come.
Menopause
Menopause manifests itself through a variety of symptoms, which can include: night sweats, hot flashes, vaginal dryness, hair loss and a loss of libido. For this reason many women turn to soy for their menopause problems.
Such a flux in women's bodies can cause symptoms such as: depression, mood swings, irritability and incontinence. Many of these symptoms can be embarrassing and debilitating for many women and for this reason the often turn to soy in the treatment of their menopause symptoms.
What is soy?
In order to understand why women use soy for menopause an explanation of what soy is is first needed. Soy is a phytoestrogenic herb which contains unique chemicals. Such plant-like hormones have a biological structure no dissimilar to human estrogen. Such a structure makes soy for menopause a legitimate alternative to more intrusive menopause treatments such as hormone replacement therapy. Soy for menopause has been found to specifically target conditions such as osteoporosis and heart disease.
Benefits of soy for menopause
Soy for menopause alone?
Soy for menopause isn't the only phytoestrogenic herb that excels at treating women with a hormonal problem. Other phytoestrogenic herbs such as ginseng and red clover are also used to treat menopause symptoms.
The specific benefits of soy include a lowering of cholesterol levels, which can combat heart disease. Studies into soy's effectiveness at treating menopause symptoms has been mixed, but a recent study found that it was effective in reducing the frequency of hot flashes and night sweats. The study found that soy for menopause was a viable treatment option because taking 60mgs of soy everyday for 3 months was found to reduce hot flashes and night sweats by 45%. Soy for menopause has also been found to be competent at increasing bone density, which can help to counteract the menopause symptom of osteoporosis.
What are the sources of soy for menopause?
The intake of soy for menopause can be done through subtle changes in diet. This is because soy can be found in many foods. The main sources of soy for menopause include:
. Fortified soy milk
. Tofu and tempeh
. Soy beans
. Soy flour
What are the side effects of soy for menopause?
Despite its benefits soy for menopause also has its downsides. Other studies into soy have found that soy for menopause may not be conclusively good in the treatment of menopause symptoms. Soy for menopause has also been found to increase the risk of breast cancer.
In the debate of which menopausal treatments women should use in order to treat their menopause symptoms many options must be considered. This is because many menopausal treatments seem like a viable option for the treatment of menopause symptoms, but other options may be better. Non-estrogenic herbs are an increasingly popular option for women seeking relief from many of the symptoms of menopause.
