A dietary supplement rich in the soy isoflavone daidzein can reduce
the incidence of hot flushes by 52 per cent, suggests new research
from Harvard Medical School.
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has launched complaints against
seven online sellers of alternative hormone replacement therapy
(HRT) products for not backing-up their health claims.
A survey sponsored by Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) has found that
women want their doctors to inform them about non-medicinal options
for relieving menopausal symptoms.
The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) has targeted a
dietary supplement used in relieving the symptoms of menopause as
part of its mission to get federal regulators to clamp down on
false advertising.
A new study has yielded positive results on the use of Pycnogenol
for managing menopause symptoms, supporting potential use of the
pine bark extract in place of hormone replacement therapy.
Plant ingredients that may be potentially harmful to people
need to be properly assessed and even regulated, the German Federal
Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) has warned.
Supplementation of soy isoflavones to ease the symptoms of the
menopause like hot flushes does have an effect, according to a
meta-analysis from Australian researchers.
Hot flushes associated with the menopause are not helped by black
cohosh supplements, say results from the largest and longest trial
for the herb to date.
Scientists from the University of Illinois in Chicago have reported
for the first time just how black cohosh may alleviate hot flushes
in menopausal women - information previously lacking about the
herb.
The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) has
issued an opinion paper on the herbal alternatives for HRT, and
concludes that not only are they less effective than the regular
treatment, but some may be harmful.
Researchers from the University of Manchester are to test a "secret
herb" to stop the hot flushes associated with hormonal therapy for
breast cancer sufferers.
Consuming a standardized soy extract does not stimulate the growth
of breast cancer tumours as suspected by some scientists, and may
in fact reduce tumour progression, suggests new research from
Indena.
Taking supplements of the herbal black cohosh is unlikely to offer
much relief from menopausal hot flushes, conclude the US
researchers on a new trial.
UK doctors, struggling to give advice to women on alternatives to
hormone replacement therapy (HRT), are launching a study to find
out how effective red clover is at preventing the hot flushes
experienced during menopause.
Consumption of lignans could help preserve cognitive function in
postmenopausal women and decrease their risk of developing
Alzheimer's disease, according to researchers at the Julius Center
for Health Sciences and Primary Care...
Enzymatic Therapy appears to be unperturbed by recent rumblings
from the scientific community about the efficacy black cohosh to
alleviate menopause symptoms such as hot flashes. The
Wisconsin-based company has announced that it is...
A study presented this week showing that black cohosh supplements
offer no benefit for hot flushes was probably too short to measure
any effect, says the herbal science group the American Botanical
Council.
Many women may be overusing treatments for symptoms of menopause,
including hormone therapies that can pose a risk, an expert panel
called by the US government said this week.
A new study suggests that DHEA supplements may be an effective
alternative to traditional anti-depressants for sufferers of
midlife-onset major or minor depression.
Health ingredients firm Acatris has developed a directly
compressible version of its SoyLife brand soy isoflavone
ingredient, designed to remove some of the hurdles for companies
looking to offer isoflavone capsules or tablets.
Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is associated with an increased
risk of stroke, finds a new review of trials that aims to clear up
some of the confusion over HRT's side effects.
Soy is unlikely to damage fertility in women, report researchers,
who investigated the theory that its positive impact on breast
cancer risk may have other, unwanted effects.
Taking combined HRT can sharply increase the risk of developing a
blood clot for some women, according to new research, that adds to
the other risks associated with the therapy.
Women are going back onto hormone replacement therapy because it is
significantly more effective against menopausal symptoms than
herbal remedies, an organisation of American gynecologists said on
Friday.
US-funded research could prove whether soy isoflavone supplements
can help to prevent osteoporosis, the thinning of the bones that
leads to increased risk of bone fracture.
US researchers are carrying out a major, long-term study to
investigate the safety and efficacy of the herbal products black
cohosh and red clover in relieving menopause symptoms.
Plant oestrogens, such as isoflavones or lignans, do not appear to
have any effect on reducing breast cancer risk in Western women,
report Dutch researchers.
A Swedish study established to assess the effect of hormone
replacement therapy (HRT) for women with a history of breast cancer
has been stopped early after preliminary results show 'unacceptably
high' risks of breast cancer...
Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) is no longer recommended as first
choice of therapy for prevention of osteoporosis, according to new
advice from the UK's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory
Agency (MHRA) released yesterday.
A new database of biomarkers for human exposure to phytoestrogens
will help researchers evaluate the role of foods such as soy in
prevention of breast cancer and treatment of menopause symptoms.
Women could significantly reduce menopause symptoms within 12 weeks
by changing to a Japanese-style diet (high in soyfoods and calcium)
and exercise plan, suggests a new study. It is one of the first to
find immediate benefit for...
Scientists have called into question the efficacy of herbal
remedies on menopausal symptoms after a review of randomised
clinical trials found only limited evidence that they worked.
A phytoestrogen-rich multivitamin supplement should be considered
as the first option for women suffering from menopausal symptoms,
say UK researchers, presenting results of a small trial that showed
the benefits of the pill over...
The herb black cohosh may reduce hot flushes by acting on body
temperature regulation, rather than through its oestrogen-like
effects, report researchers, who suggest the finding increases the
likelihood that the herb is a safe HRT...
Obesity has long been thought to have a link with a higher risk of
breast cancer in postmenopausal women. But now scientists claim to
have discovered the definitive link between the two - increased
oestrogen levels.
A new small study suggests that Belgium-based Orafti's enriched
inulin - RaftiloseSynergy1 - results in significant improvement in
absorption of both calcium and magnesium in post-menopausal women.
Women whose diet includes the phytoestrogens isoflavones and
lignans could be at reduced risk of endometrial cancer, the fifth
most common cancer among women worldwide, report researchers.
Red clover extracts marketed to treat menopause symptoms had no
significant effect on hot flushes, reported researchers in this
week's Journal of the American Medical Association
Soyfoods and soybean isoflavone supplements seem to be most
effective at alleviating the hot flushes experienced during
menopause when the frequency of hot flushes is greater, report
researchers in this quarter's Journal of Medicinal...
More information on the effects of phytoestrogens on bone, heart
and breast health is needed before recommendations on
supplementation can be safely made, argues a report in this month's
issue of the Journal of Nutrition.
Supplements containing a soy compound were no better than a placebo
at relieving the symptoms of menopause, according to a Finnish
study published in this month's Obstetrics and Gynecology
journal.
