The Study
Extracted or synthesized soybean isoflavones reduce menopausal hot flash frequency and severity: systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials
This study looked at lots of different experiments where women were randomly given either soy pills or fake pills, and found that the soy pills helped reduce hot flashes. Because they did many fair tests and combined the results, we can be pretty sure the soy really caused the improvement.
Analysis score
Maximum 100 for a systematic review with meta-analysis.
Where the score came from
Scientists looked at many studies where women took soy supplements or fake pills to see if soy helps with hot flashes.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 539 / 100
Quality score
The highest quality evidence. Systematic reviews and meta-analyses that pool randomized controlled trials, giving the most reliable summary of experimental evidence.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1This means soy supplements can noticeably reduce hot flashes for many women, offering a non-hormonal option that works better than nothing.
- 2Women who took soy supplements had 20.6% fewer hot flashes and 26.2% less severe ones than those who took placebo pills.
- 3Soy with more than 18.8 mg of genistein worked twice as well.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
Menopause: The Journal of The North American Menopause Society
Year
2012
Authors
K. Taku, M. Melby, F. Kronenberg, M. Kurzer, M. Messina
Related Content
Claims (5)
Soy isoflavone supplements reduce the severity of menopausal hot flashes by 26.2% compared to a placebo in perimenopausal and postmenopausal women.
Women who are perimenopausal or postmenopausal who take soy isoflavone supplements containing at least 54 mg of aglycone equivalents daily for 6 weeks to 12 months experience a 20.6% reduction in the frequency of hot flashes compared to those taking a placebo.
Soy isoflavone supplements reduce how often and how intensely menopausal hot flashes occur compared to a placebo.
Soy isoflavone supplements reduce menopausal hot flashes differently depending on how often hot flashes occurred before treatment, how long the supplements are taken, and the specific type of isoflavone used.
Menopausal women who take soy isoflavone supplements with more than 18.8 mg of genistein daily experience more than twice the reduction in hot flashes compared to those taking supplements with less genistein.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.