ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, November 12, 1996 TAG: 9611120071
SECTION: NATL/INTL PAGE: A-3 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: NEW ORLEANS
SOURCE: Associated Press
Eat tofu for hot flashes? The idea is not as weird as it sounds.
At the American Heart Association's annual scientific meeting Sunday, researchers discussed the growing evidence that soybean protein - commonly found in tofu - may indeed relieve the miseries of menopause.
Dr. Gregory Burke of Bowman Gray School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, N.C., outlined the results of an experiment into soy's effects on menopause.
The study involved 43 women between ages 45 and 55 who suffered at least one bout of hot flashes or night sweating daily. For six weeks, they worked 20 grams of powdered soy protein into their diets, mixing it with orange juice or sprinkling it on cereal. For another six weeks, they did the same with powdered carbohydrate. No one knew until the end of the experiment which they were eating.
The women reported significantly less-intense symptoms while using the soy protein, although they occurred just as frequently.
Burke plans another study, involving 240 women, in which larger doses of soy will be tried. Another study, conducted recently at the University of Manchester in England, suggests this can reduce the frequency of hot flashes, as well.
Experts believe the key ingredient of soy protein is phytoestrogen - the plant form of the female hormone estrogen.
Human estrogen is widely used to relieve the effects of menopause, although some women are reluctant to take it because of side effects.
Laboratory studies suggest that soy estrogen acts on the same chemical targets in the body that human estrogen affects, although it is 1,000 times less potent.
Doctors have other reasons to think that soy might be a treatment for menopausal symptoms. One is the rarity of these problems in Asian countries, where the soybean is common. Indeed, Burke said there is no phrase in Japanese for ``hot flash.''
Both heart disease and breast cancer are four times more common in the United States as in Japan, and the risk of uterine cancer is 40 percent higher.
Of course, there are many differences between Japanese and U.S. women, including their genetic makeup and the U.S. tendency to be obese.
Nevertheless, Burke said, ``It's prudent to recommend that folks consume more soy in their diets.''
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