A new poll conducted by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) has found that only 43% of women are aware that diet influences the number and intensity of hot flashes experienced during menopause.
In 2023, a study conducted by Dr. Hana Kahleova and Neal Barnard, MD, both of PCRM, randomly assigned 84 postmenopausal women to one of two groups. The intervention group consumed a low-fat, vegan diet, including half a cup of cooked soybeans daily, while the control group continued consuming their regular diets.
The results showed that a plant-based diet rich in soy reduced moderate to severe hot flashes by 88% and helped women lose an average of eight pounds in 12 weeks. Further analysis concluded that plant-based foods have this effect regardless of how processed they are.
“Our research has found that a low-fat plant-based diet that includes soybeans can significantly reduce hot flashes and weight in postmenopausal women,” said Dr. Kahleova, who is the director of clinical research at the Physicians Committee. “Women can even experience these health benefits when their diet includes plant-based foods that are considered ultra-processed — like soy milk and plant-based meat alternatives.”
Menopause symptoms receive inadequate attention
Despite this evidence, 19% of respondents in the new poll believed that menopausal women should avoid soy products (compared to 21% who said this was not necessary). 11% believed that the consumption of ultra-processed plant foods (such as meat and dairy alternatives) reduced hot flashes, while 22% incorrectly thought the opposite. Finally, 13% said that ultra-processed plant foods led to weight loss for women experiencing menopause, while 26% thought these foods increased weight.
The results come ahead of Menopause Awareness Month, which takes place in October. According to a study published by the Menopause Society last year, approximately 75% of women experience hot flashes as they go through
menopause, but these symptoms receive inadequate attention in primary
care settings.
“This Menopause Awareness Month — and all year long — I urge physicians and other clinicians to encourage their patients who are in any phase of menopause to try a plant-based diet to help fight hot flashes, reduce their weight if needed, and improve other health conditions,” said Vanita Rahman, MD, clinic director of the Barnard Medical Center in Washington, D.C.
