Precious soy in menopause

Phytoestrogens and lecithin make soy, the most consumed legume in Eastern countries, a valuable aid for the health of all menopausal women.

The consumption of soy, once widespread especially in the East, has now also extended to Western populations. In addition to being an excellent food, rich in protein, calcium, phosphorus and potassium, this legume is also an important medicinal plant.

Just the evidence that in oriental women are less present typical disorders of menopause (such as hot flashes), osteoporosis, cardiovascular diseases and breast cancer has led to the use of soy as a remedy to counteract these problems.

To benefit from the consumption of soy are both women who want to better prepare for menopause, and those who have already arrived at this new stage of life.

In fact, soy is rich in isoflavones (also called phytoestrogens) molecules that can reduce the typical discomfort of the climacteric.

A powerful ally during menopause

Hot flashes, palpitations and increased sweating are just some of the unpleasant symptoms that often accompany menopause. At the root of these disorders is the decrease in estrogen levels, which also leads to an increase in pressure, cholesterol levels and osteoporosis.

Conventional medicine counteracts these problems with hormone replacement therapy, estrogen and possibly progestogen treatments. Soy is proposed as a valid support to this therapy and can be of great help in cases where the symptoms are mild. This is thanks to the presence of phytoestrogens.

Their activity is based on the similarity with estrogens produced by the female organism. Thanks to this structural analogy, isoflavones are able to bind to the same receptors with which estrogen interacts, regulating the functions that are controlled by these hormones before menopause.

The beneficial effects of phytoestrogen treatment are appreciable already after only one month of intake and three months after the start of therapy the improvements in symptoms are significant.

With supplements or diet

These results can be obtained by using soy isoflavone products that can be purchased without prescription in pharmacies.

Or, supplementing your diet with soy and derivatives. In a day, 60 grams of soy or 40 grams of soy protein are enough to counteract menopausal disorders.

In addition to consuming the legume directly, its proteins are found in soy milk, which is digested without problems even by those who are intolerant to cow’s milk. This milk can be drunk directly or used in the preparation of smoothies, ice creams, creams and sauces or to flavor rice, fish and vegetable dishes and soups.

Soy is also present in tofu and shoyu, typical of Japanese cuisine. And there are also bread, crackers, biscuits and other bakery products prepared with flours enriched with flours obtained from the processing of soybeans. These are foods with improved nutritional capacity and taste identical to that of products based only on cereal flour.

Not just hot flashes

The high content of phytoestrogens makes soy a powerful ally also against breast cancer. Not to be underestimated, then, the beneficial effects of another active ingredient of soy, lecithin. This molecule is able to decrease the levels of cholesterol and triglycerides in the blood, thus preventing atherosclerosis and myocardial infarction.

Finally, enriching your diet with soy decreases the risk of osteoporosis. This legume, in fact, is rich in iron and B vitamins (see table) and contributes to bone mineralization.