Dietary flour supplementation decreases post-menopausal hot flushes: effect of soy and wheat.
Plants contain compounds with oestrogen--like action called phytoestrogens. Soy contains daidzin, a potent phytoestrogen, and wheat flour contains less potent enterolactones. We aimed to show in 58 postmenopausal women (age 54, range 30-70 years) with at least 14 hot flushes per week, that their daily diet supplemented with soy flour (n = 28) could reduce flushes compared with wheat flour (n = 30) over 12 weeks when randomised and double blind. Hot flushes significantly decreased in the soy and wheat flour groups (40% and 25% reduction, respectively < 0.001 for both) with a significant rapid response in the soy flour group in 6 weeks (P < 0.001) that continued. Menopausal symptom score decreased significantly in both groups (P < 0.05). Urinary daidzein excretion confirmed compliance. Vaginal cell maturation, plasma lipids and urinary calcium remained unchanged. Serum FSH decreased and urinary hydroxyproline increased in the wheat flour group.
Murkies
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Brighton Medical Clinic, 26 Carpenter St., Brighton 3186, Vic, Australia.
Lombard
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C
Strauss
B J G
BJ
Wilcox
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G
Burger
H G
HG
Morton
M S
MS