Let’s talk about those not-so-fun hot flashes that often come with menopause.
Officially, they go by the name vasomotor symptoms (VMS), and trust me, they’re like a rollercoaster ride. You can start with a mild warmth and end up in the middle of a heatwave, typically hitting the head, neck, chest, and upper back, and don’t forget the five-minute sweat-fest.
For many women, this hot flash party goes on for years, starting in your 40s and extending into your 50s and even 60s.
About 80% of women will deal with these hot flashes at some point, and it’s frustrating that there’s no one-size-fits-all solution to tackle them. But guess what? We’ve got some exciting news for you.
There’s a study that suggests a super easy and tasty way to cool down those hot flashes: Just add soya to your diet.
So, here’s the scoop on how soya works its magic:
In a 12-week study conducted by the Physicians’ Committee for Responsible Medicine, they gathered up a group of postmenopausal women who were facing at least two hot flashes a day. Then they split them into two groups. One group stuck with their usual meals, while the other went the plant-based vegan route, munching on half a cup of cooked soybeans every day. No meds or other tricks, just soybeans.
And what happened was pretty amazing:
The soybean eaters managed to slash their hot flashes by a whopping 79%. More than half of them even bid farewell to their troublesome moderate-to-severe episodes. The other group didn’t notice any changes in their hot flash situation – no change in how often, how long, or how intense they were.
But that’s not all.
The soybean group had some extra bonuses after the three-month experiment. They enjoyed better sleep, improved digestion, dropped a few kilos, and overall, life just got better.
Soy contains isoflavones, plant estrogens (phytoestrogens) that reduce hot flashes. These compounds have a similar molecular structure to estrogen, which decreases significantly as women age, and that’s responsible for many menopausal symptoms. The similar molecular structure of the plant estrogens allows them to turn on estrogen receptors and thus reduce menopause symptoms triggered by falling estrogen levels
So, there you have it, a simple and delicious solution for those hot flashes – soya to the rescue!
Here are a few
