Soy germ extract alleviates menopausal hot flushes: placebo-controlled double-blind trial

Background/objectives A double-blind, placebo-controlled study was performed to assess the potency of a soy germ preparation for the alleviation of menopausal hot flushes. Subjects/methods Caucasian women with at least seven hot flushes daily were treated with soy germ extract (100 mg isoflavone glycosides) daily or with placebo for 12 weeks, followed by 12 weeks of open treatment with soy. Outcome parameters were the number of hot flushes and the evaluation of the Greene Climacteric Scale. Results A total of 192 women were included. As the hot flush diaries from one study centre were lost, the assessment of hot flushes was based on 136 participants (soy: 54 women; placebo: 82 women). After 12 weeks, 180 women were available for the analysis of Greene Scale and safety (soy and placebo: each 90 women). Hot flushes were reduced by 43.3% (–3.5 hot flushes) with soy and by 30.8% with placebo (–2.6; p