Hot Flashes and Phytoestrogens
Menopausal women who experience hot flashes might be seeking alternative options other than pharmacological routes to reduce their symptoms. They hope to gain the same benefits from the products containing “natural” estrogens without the potential health risks of breast cancer and cardiovascular complications from hormone replacement therapy (HRT).[1]
When it comes to the topic of hot flashes, many researchers are often focused on hormone replacement therapy (HRT) as a treatment. In addition to hot flash symptoms, other health issues are also investigated, including cardiovascular disease and bone mineral density or osteoporosis. There are some studies focused on the non-pharmacological approach such as phytoestrogens, but there are a lot more studies involved with HRT.[2]
Hot Flashes
Hot flashes (or sometimes known as hot flushes) affect many menopausal women. Hot flash symptoms affect 50% to 85% of women who are over the age of 45, or approximately 360 million women worldwide experience these hot flash symptoms. Some women may experience hot flashes prior to the menopausal period. Hot flashes can occur more frequently and can be intense during the first two years of menopause. Different women experience hot flash symptoms differently, such as hourly, daily, weekly, or monthly. The intensity of hot flashes also varies among these women. The causes of hot flashes have not been fully understood. It has been suggested that as women are reaching menopause, their hormones are also changing. The changes in hormones specifically decreased levels of estrogen, which is linked to the temperature modulator in the hypothalamus.[3] Also, decreased estrogen levels may cause blood vessels to dilate. The dilated blood vessels allow more blood to travel quickly through the body. This suddenly increased blood flow accompanies more heat. The dilating or opening blood vessels to the skin causes a hot flushing sensation and sweating reactions. Hot flushes and night sweats are known as vasomotor symptoms (VMS). Hot flashes do not pose a danger to the body, but they can cause discomfort physically and emotionally.[4]
Phytoestrogens
Phytoestrogens or “dietary estrogens” are non-steroidal plant compounds. They have similar structural compounds as 17-B-estradiol. They are known as estrogen hormone-like chemicals, and their chemical structure appears similar to the human body’s estrogen chemical structure. This structure can act as estrogenic and/or antiestrogenic effects. When taking phytoestrogens by mouth, these foods may have estrogenic and anti-estrogenic effects depending on the phytoestrogen concentration in the food, availability of sex hormone concentration in the body, and stage of life of a woman.
Three classes of phytoestrogens
a. Isoflavones (chemical names: genistein, daidzein, glycitein). Common foods are found in soy beans, tofu, and other soy food products.
b. Lignans (chemical names: secoisolariciresinol, matairesinol). Common foods are found in flaxseeds, sesame seed, sunflower seed, and multigrain breads.
c. Coumestan (chemical name: coumestrol). Common foods are found in alfalfa sprouts, clover sprouts, split peas, and lima beans.[5]
Phytoestrogen food sources
(1 ug=0.000001 g)
| Phytoestrogen food sources | Phytoestrogens content (ug/100g) |
|---|---|
| Flax Seed | 379380 |
| Soy beans | 103920 |
| Soy nuts | 68731 |
| Tofu | 27150 |
| Tempeh | 18308 |
| Miso Paste | 11197 |
| Soy Yogurt | 10275 |
| Soy Protein Powder | 8841 |
| Sesame Seed | 8008 |
| Multigrain bread | 4799 |
| Soy Milk | 2957 |
| Hummus | 993 |
| Garlic | 604 |
| Mung Bean Sprouts | 459 |
| Dried Apricots | 445 |
| Sunflower Seeds | 216 |
| Chestnuts | 210 |
| Olive Oil | 181 |
| Almonds | 131 |
| Cashews | 122 |
| Green Beans | 106 |
| Peanuts | 35 |
| Onion | 32 |
| Blueberries | 18 |
| Corn | 9 |
| Coffee, regular | 6 |
| Watermelon | 3 |
| Milk (cow) | 1 |
Study
Among the 3 classes, isoflavones appear to be the most widely studied.[5]
The soy phytoestrogens as replacement estrogen (SPARE) study studied the effects of soy isoflavones in menopausal women. The study looked at menopausal symptoms including hot flashes and bone density. The results of the study revealed there was no improvement in hot flash symptoms and bone loss between the women who received 200 mg daily tablets of isoflavones versus the women who received a placebo.[1]
Limitations of the study
The limitations of the study included poor design, small sample size, and short duration of the study. The other challenge in the study was to have the participants taking isoflavones tablets instead of eating real foods containing isoflavones. The tablets presented negative side effects and led to high dropout rates.[1]
Foods and lifestyle habits
According to the North American Menopause Society (NAMS)[7] there are foods and some unhealthy lifestyle habits that can aggravate or trigger hot flashes such as: hot/spicy foods, alcohol, caffeine, smoking cigarettes, and high stress levels.
Body weight status
For women who are overweight or obese, a gradual weight loss can have potential benefits for menopausal symptom reduction.[8]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Levis S, Stein NS, Azar PG, Xu P, et al. Soy isoflavones in the prevention of menopausal bone loss and menopausal symptoms. Arch Intern Med. 2011; 171(15):1363-9.
- ↑ Haines CJ & Varrell E. Menopause management: a cardiovascular risk-based approach. Climacteric. 2010; 13:328-39.
- ↑ Brown DA, Henneman A, Desai DN. Efficacy of drospirenone-containing hormone replacement therapy to reduce vasomotror sympdtoms of menopause. Pharmacy. 2013,1,193-203.
- ↑ http://health.howstuffworks.com/wellness/women/menopause/cause-hot-flash1.htm
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Anklesaria BS. The promise of phytoestrogens. Indian Journal of Pharmacology. 2011;4(43):369-70.
- ↑ http://www.dietaryfiberfood.com/phytoestrogen-hormones/phytoestrogen-food-sources.php
- ↑ http://www.menopause.org/for-women/menopause-take-time-to-think-about-it/consumers/2012/09/26/a-meno-menu-6-simple-instructions-for-a-healthy-diet
- ↑ Daiss, SR, Wayment, HA, Blackledge, S. The effects of a 12-month, small changes group intervention on weight loss and menopausal symptoms in overweight women. Psychology, suppl. Special issue on Applied Psychology. 2013;(4.3A):197-204.
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