A Successful Natural Approach to Take the Heat Out of Hot Flashes

Menopausal women around the world suffer from them: hot flashes. For decades hormone replacement therapy was the standard in menopausal symptom relief. However, after health risks related to this type of therapy became apparent, menopausal women began to search for more natural alternatives. Unfortunately, many natural hormone replacement therapy alternatives only offer little relief. Now a new scientific research study has shown one natural treatment method might be quite successful in relieving one of the most bothersome symptoms of menopause: hot flashes. The study was conducted at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), a patient care, teaching and research affiliate of Harvard Medical School. The scientists determined a soybean compound to be able to reduce the occurrence and severity of hot flashes by over 50% without negative side effects. The study appeared in the January 2008 issue of the Journal Menopause.

More than 60% of menopausal and pre-menopausal American women suffer from hot flashes. It is the most prevalent symptom of menopause. Hot flashes are defined as a sudden and intense feeling of heat, which is often followed by sweating and a red flushed face. A hot flash can last anywhere from a couple of minutes to thirty minutes. Varying in intensity, hot flashes cannot only be uncomfortable but also embarrassing. The standard hormone replacement therapy treatment had been very effective in treating menopausal symptoms, especially hot flashes. However, in 2002 women became aware of major health risks associated with hormone replacement therapy, such as heart disease, breast cancer, stroke, blood clots, and dementia.

Ever since this information has been made public, pre-menopausal and menopausal women have shied away from the hormone replacement therapy and looked for viable alternatives to keep their symptoms at bay. Such alternatives include dietary and lifestyle changes, dietary supplements, and non-hormone prescription medications. Favored are usually natural choices, especially in the area of dietary supplements, where women usually try among others black cohosh, soy and red clover, or Vitamin E. The success rate varies and scientific studies about their reliability and safety are still rare.

The study at BIDMC focused on a compound found in soybeans. There is evidence that in countries where soybeans are a regular dietary staple, pre-menopausal and menopausal women rarely have problems with hot flashes. The compound the BIDMC scientists focused on is called daidzein-rich isoflavone-aglycone (DRI), which is found in massive quantities in soy germ. DRI is similar to human estrogen in its properties.

The study included 147 menopausal women, who were divided into three groups. They were given the DRI supplement in form of one soft-gel capsule per day. Two different DRI concentrations were tested, and one group was provided with a placebo. The twelve-week study found that the different DRI concentrations led to still very similar results, just over 50% reduction in the frequency of hot flashes. It should be noted that a 39% reduction was measured in the placebo group. The patients also reported an improvement in the quality of life.

The scientists found that the degree of improvement especially in the frequency of the hot flashes was similar to that of alternative therapies like serotonin inhibitor. However, they stress the negative side effects of such alternative therapies did not occur during the DRI study they conducted making it a more viable alternative.

As already noted, isoflavones are similar to human estrogen albeit in a much weaker form. There are concerns within the medical community that supplements containing isoflavones may lead to similar health risks as hormone replacement therapy, especially an increased risk of developing cancer.