Loading...
Studies have provided little support to the nearly half of women in Western countries who choose dietary, supplemental, or other alternative therapies for menopausal symptoms. Now, some encouragement comes from a meta-analysis of 62 randomized clinical trials (RCTs) involving 6653 women and comparing plant-based therapies with placebo or no treatment for symptom relief at any stage of the menopause transition.
Data from 21 RCTs of phytoestrogen use (whole foods, supplements, specific products) showed modest decreases in number of daily hot flash and vaginal dryness scores (pooled mean difference in changes between treatment groups, −1.31 and −0.31, respectively) but not 24-hour night sweats. Dietary and supplemental soy isoflavones also slig…