Switching to a low-oil plant-based diet that consists of daily soybeans “significantly reduced the frequency and severity of postmenopausal hot flashes and associated symptoms”, finds a new study published in the journal Menopause.
“Postmenopausal vasomotor symptoms disrupt quality of life”, states the abstract of the study. “This study tested the effects of a dietary intervention on vasomotor symptoms and menopause-related quality of life.” The study was conducted by researchers at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, the University of Utah and the DC based Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine.
For the study, postmenopausal women reporting at least two moderate-to-severe hot flashes daily were randomly assigned, in two successive cohorts, to an intervention including a low-fat, vegan diet and cooked soybeans (½ cup [86 g] daily) or to a control group making no dietary changes.
“During a 12-week period, a mobile application was used to record hot flashes (frequency and severity), and vasomotor, psychosocial, physical, and sexual symptoms were assessed with the Menopause-Specific Quality of Life questionnaire”, states the study. “Between-group differences were assessed for continuous (t tests) and binary (χ2/McNemar tests) outcomes.” In a study subsample, “urinary equol was measured after the consumption of ½ cup (86 g) of cooked whole soybeans twice daily for 3 days.”
In the intervention group, “moderate-to-severe hot flashes decreased by 88% compared with 34% for the control group.” At 12 weeks, “50% of completers in the intervention group reported no moderate-to-severe hot flashes at all.”
Among controls, there was no change in this variable from baseline, says researchers. “Neither seasonality nor equol production status was associated with the degree of improvement.” In addition, the intervention group “reported greater reductions in the Menopause-Specific Quality of Life questionnaire vasomotor (P = 0.004), physical (P = 0.01), and sexual (P = 0.03) domains.”
The study concludes by stating that “a dietary intervention consisting of a plant-based diet, minimizing oils, and daily soybeans significantly reduced the frequency and severity of postmenopausal hot flashes and associated symptoms.”
Below is the full abstract for this study:
Abstract
Objective: Postmenopausal vasomotor symptoms disrupt quality of life. This study tested the effects of a dietary intervention on vasomotor symptoms and menopause-related quality of life.
Methods: Postmenopausal women (n = 84) reporting at least two moderate-to-severe hot flashes daily were randomly assigned, in two successive cohorts, to an intervention including a low-fat, vegan diet and cooked soybeans (½ cup [86 g] daily) or to a control group making no dietary changes. During a 12-week period, a mobile application was used to record hot flashes (frequency and severity), and vasomotor, psychosocial, physical, and sexual symptoms were assessed with the Menopause-Specific Quality of Life questionnaire. Between-group differences were assessed for continuous (t tests) and binary (χ2/McNemar tests) outcomes. In a study subsample, urinary equol was measured after the consumption of ½ cup (86 g) of cooked whole soybeans twice daily for 3 days.
Results: In the intervention group, moderate-to-severe hot flashes decreased by 88% (P < 0.001) compared with 34% for the control group (P < 0.001; between-group P < 0.001). At 12 weeks, 50% of completers in the intervention group reported no moderate-to-severe hot flashes at all. Among controls, there was no change in this variable from baseline (χ2 test, P < 0.001). Neither seasonality nor equol production status was associated with the degree of improvement. The intervention group reported greater reductions in the Menopause-Specific Quality of Life questionnaire vasomotor (P = 0.004), physical (P = 0.01), and sexual (P = 0.03) domains.
Conclusions: A dietary intervention consisting of a plant-based diet, minimizing oils, and daily soybeans significantly reduced the frequency and severity of postmenopausal hot flashes and associated symptoms.
