Taking soy as HRT substitute 'a waste'

by JENNY HOPE, Daily Mail

Last updated at 09:26 07 July 2004


Women taking soy-based food and drinks to beat the menopause could be wasting their money, warn scientists.

Scares over a possible cancer risk from hormone replacement therapy have made thousands seek a natural way to replace oestrogen lost in later life.

Falling levels lead to a loss of bone density, poorer brain function and a rise in cholesterol.

Women are buying products such as soya milk and linseeds because soy contains plant hormones including isoflavones, which it is claimed can provide the benefits of oestrogen without side effects.

But a study has found women who took soy protein daily for a year gained no more health benefits than those taking a placebo.

Researchers at the University Medical Centre, Utrecht, carried out a year-long trial on 202 women aged between 60 and 75. They took 25 grams of soy protein containing 99 milligrams of isoflavones or a dummy supplement of milk protein daily. Tests on memory and concentration, bone mineral density and cholesterol levels were carried out at the start and end of the study.

There were no changes in brainpower, bone strength or cholesterol levels among those taking soy, says a report in today's Journal of the American Medical Association.

Short-term effect

However, other research has suggested soy could work and the report says such supplements may have a short-term effect if taken straight after the menopause.

Dr John Stevenson, chairman of Women's Health Concern, said: "Women are told that soy and other foods containing isoflavones are natural and therefore won't have any side effects - but it doesn't necessarily mean they work and they're more expensive," he said.

A pint of milk a day may help prevent bowel cancer, doctors said yesterday. People who drank two 8oz glasses of milk daily cut their risk of developing the disease by 12 per cent, compared with those drinking small amounts, a study in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute found.

US researchers say it is the calcium content of milk - whether full-fat, semi-skimmed or skimmed - which helps stave off the disease.

Bowel cancer is Britain's second biggest killer cancer after lung cancer. It affects 30,000 people a year, killing 16,000.

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