"Middleaged women may find some relief from hot flashes and other menopause problems with soy supplements according to Chinese researchers.  A farmer shows soy seeds ready to plant in the Pergamino district of the Buenos Aires province October  . REUTERSNicolas Misculin They found daily supplements of soy germ isoflavones reduced the sudden sweats more than inactive placebo pills after six months.  But a U.S. expert wasnt convinced by the results which run counter to other published studies.  The majority of them are showing no benefit said William W. Wong a nutrition researcher at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston who wasnt involved in the new work.  The new study published in the journal Menopause is based on  Chinese women. A third of them received placebo pills made of starch while the rest took soy germ isoflavones either  or  milligrams a day.  They all kept diaries of their hot flashes and filled out questionnaires about various problems tied to menopause including hot flashes sweating insomnia tiredness and headache.  At six months their Kupperman scores  a measure of symptom severity that ranges from  to   had dropped by more than  percent from an initial value of about  in the soy groups.  The number of hot flashes also fell from about  a week to less than .  While the same pattern was seen in the placebo group it was less pronounced. Their symptom score dropped by  percent and the number of hot flashes by  percent according to Dr. Yanbin Ye of Sun Yatsen University in Guangzhou.  The work was supported by Frutarom Netherlands which also donated the supplements.  Wong cautioned that the new study was small and that the women involved only had few hot flashes. He said it was hard to believe that soy would have an effect on these women.  In one of his own studies Wong found no effect on soy germ isoflavones among women who took the supplements for two years.  The standard drug treatment for stubborn menopause symptoms is hormone replacement therapy. But doctors and women have become increasingly wary of that option because of serious side effects such as increased risk for heart attack stroke and breast cancer.  It is something they need to gauge is it worth the risk Wong told Reuters Health.  He generally recommends exercise and an active lifestyle to women who feel bothered by menopause.  Soy supplements also have side effects such as nausea bloating and constipation according to the National Institutes of Health. A months supply costs about  while a month of hormone tablets runs between  and .  Wong said that in Asia women tend to think of menopause problems as a natural part of life  not a medical problem.  There is a major cultural difference in how we deal with menopause symptoms he mused.  The new study didnt find significant hormone changes in women who took soy supplements and Wong said the compounds are probably safe for women.  Consuming soy is not bad for them Wong noted but it might be a waste of money if you dont see any benefit.  SOURCE bit.lywVfwS httpbit.lywVfwS Menopause online January  . Our StandardsThe Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. httpthomsonreuters.comenaboutustrustprinciples.html"