Food/Diet
Certain foods or nutrient deficiencies are known to trigger or exacerbate symptoms of menopause. Food also may boost the body's tolerance for fluctuating hormone levels. The root of a wild Mexican yam has been used as a progesterone source for the birth control pill.
Soy
Eating soy and its isoflavones are the most popular natural way to increase estrogen. Soybean products such as tofu contain natural plant estrogens (called phytoestrogens) that may reduce menopausal symptoms. Soybean is the main active ingredient in Provera, the top-selling HRT progestin in the USA. Soy, like hormone replacement, appears to lower cholesterol and reduce bone loss in postmenopausal women. Phytoestrogens are also found in lima beans, berries, and several other foods.
It's been scientifically proven that women can minimize, and perhaps eliminate, menopausal hot flashes and mood swings by incorporating soy foods into their diets. Italian researchers found that isolated soy protein can be used in place of hormone replacement therapy. Investigators at the University of Bologna found that women receiving a soy supplement realized a reduction of 45 percent in hot flashes. Other women in the study, who were given a placebo, reported a 30 percent reduction. It was suggested that the reduction in the incidence of hot flashes by the soy group was due to the phytoestrogens found naturally in soy.
All women in the study were aged 45 to 62. Those receiving the soy supplement took 60 grams each day over a 12-week period.
Research shows that Japanese women, who regularly consume soy products rather than animal protein, report markedly fewer menopausal symptoms than American women. Japanese women also have only one-fourth as much breast cancer as American women.
Substituting soy protein for animal protein can help slash breast cancer risk at any age because of its genistein content. Genistein is a chemical that blocks an enzyme that turns on cancer genes and inhibits the growth of new blood vessels needed to feed growing cancers. The average Asian woman eats about 50 to 75 milligrams of genistein a day -- the amount in about one serving of four ounces of firm or soft tofu.
Studies also show that eating a soy-rich diet can help build bone mass. This is because eating animal protein washes away much more calcium out of the body through the urine than consuming soy protein.
One study showed that women eating meat lost 50 milligrams more calcium per day than when they ate the same amount of protein in soy milk. This is very significant. A difference of 50 mg calcium loss a day can translate to substantial loss of bone mass when spread over a 20-year period.
Common menopause symptoms such as mood swings and hot flashes, insomnia, depression, diminished sexual vitality, and decreased bone mass may be effectively managed by drinking a cup of soy milk and eating four ounces of firm or soft low-fat tofu each day. (Tofu is soybean curd and an excellent substitute for animal protein. Use it in salads, vegetable stir-fries, soups, or braise it with vegetables and serve over rice.)
There is some conflict in the laboratory and animal studies regarding the effectiveness of soy supplements in reducing breast cancer. Some studies found that soy isoflavones act as anticancer agents and others reported that the isoflavones may promote some breast tumors. It is possible that isoflavones do both. Some scientists theorize that when eaten early in life, as in Japan, foods with soy in them may help prevent cancer. However, the benefits may not be there when they are eaten later in life.
Scientists from Tufts University School of Medicine suggested that the phytoestrogens hasten the maturation of breast cells in young women, and once they're mature, they're less susceptible to the effects of carcinogens. Soy, when added to the estrogen that is normally present in young women, may make breast cells mature at a much faster rate and protect against cancer. However, girls who do not consume soy are not similarly protected, because without soy, levels of estrogen are too low to help mature breast cells.
Many American women are introducing soy into the diet late in life or are bypassing the tofu and going directly to supplements that contain concentrated doses of soy protein or isoflavones. This high-level, late-in-life consumption, these scientists say, may promote cancer.
It's wise to use soy foods, like soy milk and tofu, in moderate amounts in your diet. But it may not be a good idea to use soy supplements or soy proteins or the isolated isoflavone pills before we know their effects conclusively.
Isoflavones are a hundred to a thousand times less potent than the estrogen used in hormone replacement therapy. However, some capsules contain as much as 500 milligrams of isoflavones, while the average daily intake in Japan is 25 to 50 milligrams. Thus one can easily consume hundreds of times the ideal amount from the supplements on the market far more than what Japanese women consume