According to a study, over 80% of individuals experiencing menopause encounter vasomotor symptoms, often referred to as hot flashes.
Previous research indicates that those affected by hot flashes face an increased risk of diseases such as osteoporosis, Alzheimer's disease, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.
Moreover, hot flashes can disrupt sleep patterns, adversely affecting a woman's overall health.
Implementing lifestyle changes such as maintaining a healthy weight, avoiding alcohol and caffeine, and refraining from spicy foods can sometimes alleviate hot flashes.
Now, a newly published research in the journal Complementary Therapies in Medicine reveals that following a low-fat vegan diet that includes soy can potentially reduce menopausal hot flashes by up to 95%.
Dr. Hana Kahleova, the lead author of this study and director of clinical research at the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, was particularly interested in investigating the impact of a vegan diet on hot flashes due to the association between obesity and an increased risk of experiencing these flashes.
Their research, and several others more, show that a vegan diet can promote weight loss and can help fight obesity. A vegan diet also avoids meat and dairy products, which are known for their high content of saturated fat and compounds referred to as advanced glycation end-products.
Furthermore, some studies indicate that women experiencing hot flashes might face elevated risks of heart disease and breast cancer, both of which can potentially be mitigated through a vegan diet.
Dr. Kahleova cautioned against estrogen and estrogen-progestin medications as treatments for hot flashes, citing their association with heightened risks of breast cancer and cardiovascular issues.
Conversely, adopting a vegan diet may diminish these risks, with research indicating that soy products are linked to a decreased risk.
In this study, Dr. Kahleova and her team analyzed data from 84 postmenopausal women enrolled in the Women's Study for the Alleviation of Vasomotor Symptoms (WAVS) trial. These participants reported experiencing at least two moderate to severe hot flashes daily.
The study involved randomly assigning participants to either adopt a low-fat vegan diet incorporating half a cup of cooked soybeans daily or to maintain their regular diet for a period of 12 weeks.
Additionally, a subgroup of 11 individuals provided stool samples for a gut microbiome analysis before commencing the study and after adhering to the vegan diet for 12 weeks.
The researchers observed alterations in the bacterial species within the gut microbiome of those adhering to the vegan diet. Notably, individuals on the vegan regimen showed increased levels of bacteria such as Porphyromonas and Prevotella corporis, which were correlated with a reduction in severe hot flashes. This correlation persisted even after accounting for body mass index (BMI), a measure used to estimate body fat.
Conversely, there was a notable decrease in the presence of the bacteria Clostridium asparagiforme in the gut microbiome, which was associated with a decline in the frequency of total severe hot flashes, particularly those occurring at night.
Dr. Kahleova explained that "a vegan diet with soybeans is rich in fiber and compounds called isoflavones, both of which help increase the abundance of gut bacteria that fight inflammation and stabilize estrogen levels, which helps to fight hot flashes. Avoiding meat also helps to decrease the amount of gut bacteria that are linked to increased inflammation."
The study revealed that individuals who adhered to the low-fat vegan diet supplemented with soy experienced a remarkable 95% reduction in their overall occurrence of hot flashes compared to those maintaining their regular diet.
Furthermore, the findings indicated a substantial 96% decrease in moderate to severe hot flashes due to the vegan diet. Daytime hot flashes diminished by 96%, while nighttime occurrences saw a reduction of 94%.
Moreover, participants who followed the vegan diet also exhibited an average weight loss of 6.4 pounds (lbs) over the course of the 12-week study period.
However, Monique Richard, a registered dietitian nutritionist criticizes the study and said that with only 11 participants' stools analyzed during the study, it is a very small sample even though the percentage of hot flash frequency was significant at 95%.