Daily News
SOYA HRT DRUG GETS ALL-CLEAR
Natural alternative is safe, say scientists.
By Paul Johnson
A NATURAL soya-based alternative
to hormone replacement therapy has been given the safety all-clear,
scientists will announce today.
Soya remedies are popular among
women coping with the symptoms of menopause.
There had been no evidence that
the treatments were safer than HRT, which has been linked to an
increased risk of breast, womb and ovarian cancers.
Now researchers claim a soy
extract called Phyto Soya is safe to take over extended periods.
They say it won't increase the
risk of cancer or endometriosis - a condition affecting the womb
lining.
In the latest trial, conducted in
France, Spain and Belgium, 305 women aged from 45 to 65 were given
tablets.
At the end of the study, none had
developed significant problems.
The findings will today be
presented by lead researcher Pierre Mares at a conference in Monaco.
The professor, from Nimes, France,
said: "The relationship between the risk of breast cancer in
postmenopausal women and the use of HRT for the menopause has been the
subject of much controversy over the last few years.
"In any case, it is clear that
many women would be reassured with a potential alternative to HRT."
The low incidence of menopausal
symptoms in countries such as Japan, where people eat plenty of soya,
led some experts to claim the extracts could do the same job as HRT.
Soya contains phyto estrogens,
chemicals that act like oestrogens in animal cells.
It is thought using supplements
with the right properties could help stimulate natural oestrogen
production, levels of which fall in menopausal women.
A clinical study by Professor
Mares in 2002 found the number of hot flushes halved among two-thirds
of women who took Phyto Soya supplements.
Perimenopause
and Menopause Article Index.
