Soy to treat menopausal symptoms?

In an earlier post, women complained that they did not know the proper dose of soy-containing products to treat the symptoms of menopause, and had low confidence in the ability of healthcare professionals to provide this information.

Maybe now we know why.

Matthew Anderson, MD from the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York says that reviews and analysis of 15 years of studies reveal “little evidence of benefit for these products on menopausal symptoms.”

One reviewer stated, “Hot flash frequency was not reduced when [the results of] all trials of red clover isoflavone extracts were combined, and results for soy isoflavone extracts were contradictory even among the largest and highest quality trials.

“We should remember,” says Dr. Anderson, “that lack of evidence of effect is not necessarily evidence of lack of effect.” True enough, but in the absence of evidence of an effective dose, it’s difficult to recommend an effective dose.

7/21/06 15:26 JR