Are there any side-effects if I take soy supplements to combat hot flashes & night sweats?
According to the Consensus Opinion on Isoflavones and Menopausal Health (Menopause, Vo. 7, No. 4, 2000), most studies on hot flashes have used isoflavone amounts of 40-80 mg/day, with potential benefits to vasomotor symptoms. It is noted that the safety of isoflavones at specific amounts has not been established and to receive potential health benefits, it is preferable to obtain isoflavones from whole foods. Approximately 25 grams a day of soy protein in soy foods provides approximately 50 mg/day of isoflavones. The report also states that is might be difficult to consume sufficiently large quantities of isoflavones from traditional soy foods, but uncontrolled use of more potent soy isoflavone supplements might lead to negative outcomes. In relation to soy consumption and changes in menstrual cycles, according to one study on 6 premenopausal women with regular cycles, soy protein (60 grams of soy protein containing 45 mg isoflavones) given daily for 1 month significantly increased fol
