Hot flushes and other menopausal symptoms in relation to soy product intake in Japanese women

Abstract

Objective To examine the relationships between dietary intake of soy products and hot flushes and other menopausal symptoms.

Methods Subjects were 284 women aged 40–59 years who attended a health check-up program provided by a general hospital in Gifu, Japan. They completed a health questionnaire including the Kupperman test of menopausal distress. Diet was assessed by a semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire.

Results Fermented soy product intake but not total soy product intake was significantly negatively correlated with hot flush severity (r = -0.16, p = 0.01) after controlling for age and menopausal status. Neither total soy product intake nor fermented soy product intake was significantly correlated with menopausal index score. Estimated isoflavone intake from total and fermented soy products was significantly lower by 15% (p = 0.02) and 19% (p = 0.01), respectively, in women with hot flushes, compared to those without hot flushes after controlling for covariates.

Conclusion The data support a hypothesis that intake of fermented soy products alleviates the severity of hot flushes.

Key Words:

• Soy
• Hot Flushes
• Menopausal Symptoms
• Diet
• Japanese Women