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Evidence-based Complementary and... 2019The effect of phytoestrogen on postmenopausal quality of life is unclear. This study evaluated the effects of phytoestrogen supplement on quality of life for...
BACKGROUND
The effect of phytoestrogen on postmenopausal quality of life is unclear. This study evaluated the effects of phytoestrogen supplement on quality of life for postmenopausal women.
METHODS
We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials on the effects of phytoestrogen supplements on the quality of life of postmenopausal women. We searched PubMed, MEDLINE, Embase, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials on March 31, 2018, for relevant randomized controlled trials. Two authors independently selected studies, assessed risk of bias, and extracted data. Disagreement was resolved through discussion with a third author.
RESULTS
We involved 10 articles in the systematic review. 8 studies and a total of 1,129 subjects were included in the meta-analysis. The questionnaires used in the evaluation of quality of life were as follows: SF-36, 4 studies; MENQOL, 4 studies; For Short Form 36 surveys, phytoestrogen groups scored significantly higher for body pain (mean difference = 3.85, 95% confidence interval [CI] = [1.14, 6.57], < 0.01), mental health (mean difference = 4.01, 95% CI = [1.49, 6.57], < 0.01), and role limitations caused by emotional problems domains (mean difference = 3.83, 95% CI = [1.81, 5.85], < 0.01). No statistically significant difference was obtained from Menopause-Specific Quality of Life surveys (vasomotor domain mean difference 0.14, 95% CI = [-0.08, 0.36], = 0.20; physical domain mean difference 0.20, 95% CI [-0.08, 0.48], = 0.15; psychological domain mean difference -0.10, 95% CI [-0.26, 0.07], = 0.27; sexual domain mean difference -0.17, 95% CI [-0.42, 0.09], = 0.19).
CONCLUSION
Current evidence does not support phytoestrogen supplementation improving postmenopausal quality of life. Further comprehensive trials or long-term follow-up studies are warranted.
PubMed: 31057646
DOI: 10.1155/2019/3261280 -
Advances in Nutrition (Bethesda, Md.) Nov 2018Phytoestrogens might have advantageous effects on diabetes in women. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to determine the effect of phytoestrogens on... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis
Phytoestrogens might have advantageous effects on diabetes in women. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to determine the effect of phytoestrogens on glucose homeostasis and the risk of type 2 diabetes (T2D) among women. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and prospective observational studies that assessed associations of phytoestrogens (supplementation, dietary intake, or biomarkers) with fasting glucose or insulin, homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), or with the risk of T2D were included. We identified 18 RCTs (n = 1687 individuals) investigating the effect of phytoestrogen supplementation on glucose homeostasis and 9 prospective population-based studies (n = 212,796 individuals) examining the association between phytoestrogen intake and the risk of T2D. Compared with placebo, phytoestrogen supplementation resulted in improvements in fasting glucose and HOMA-IR: the pooled mean differences of changes were -0.12 mmol/L (95% CI: -0.20, -0.03 mmol/L) and -0.24 mmol/L (95% CI: -0.45, -0.03 mmol/L), respectively. Although there was no significant decrease in insulin concentrations with overall phytoestrogen supplementation, the pooled mean difference in changes was -0.99 pmol/L (95% CI: -4.65, 2.68 pmol/L). However, the results of RCTs varied by type of phytoestrogens: soy-derived isoflavones and genistein improved glucose homeostasis, whereas isoflavone mix and daidzein had no effect or were associated with an adverse glycemic profile. Higher dietary phytoestrogen intake was associated with a 10% lower risk of developing T2D in observational studies (pooled RR: 0.90; 95% CI: 0.85, 0.96; for the highest compared with the lowest quantiles). Results were similar when the analyses were restricted to only medium- and high-quality studies. Overall, phytoestrogens may have a positive influence on glycemia and could be used for diabetes prevention in women. However, for some individual types of phytoestrogens, such as mixed isoflavones, caution is needed in recommending their use in women, because their use could lead to an adverse glycemic profile in women.
Topics: Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Blood Glucose; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2; Dietary Supplements; Fasting; Female; Homeostasis; Humans; Insulin; Insulin Resistance; Middle Aged; Observational Studies as Topic; Phytoestrogens; Prospective Studies; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Risk Factors
PubMed: 30462180
DOI: 10.1093/advances/nmy048 -
Journal of Education and Health... 2018Menopause and its complications could disturb the sense of well-being and health and affect the quality of life. The present study was performed to review the conducted...
BACKGROUND
Menopause and its complications could disturb the sense of well-being and health and affect the quality of life. The present study was performed to review the conducted interventional study related to the quality of life in menopausal women in Iran.
METHODS
In the present systematic review, to achieve the intended studies, Iranian Registry for Clinical Trials and Magiran, SID, Google Scholar, Scopus, PubMed, Proquest, ScienceDirect, and Web of Science databases were searched using: menopause" and "quality of life" keywords without any time limitations. Based on Jadad criteria, studies with a score of 3 or more were enrolled in the study.
RESULTS
From all the achieved studies at primary search, 12 were selected and enrolled in the study. Reviewing the results of the studies showed that participating physical exercise, using products containing phytoestrogens and isoflavones and participating in educational and counseling sessions have an effective role in the improvement of quality of life in menopausal women.
CONCLUSIONS
Evidence indicated that from the existing strategies to improve the menopausal quality of life, using complementary medicine is an efficient method and could be more effective when consumed along with performing physical exercises and participating in educational programs.
PubMed: 30079364
DOI: 10.4103/jehp.jehp_137_17 -
Maturitas Sep 2018Phytoestrogen-based medications are commonly used by menopausal women, and especially by obese postmenopausal women, to relieve menopausal symptoms. Substitution of... (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
Phytoestrogen-based medications are commonly used by menopausal women, and especially by obese postmenopausal women, to relieve menopausal symptoms. Substitution of animal with soy protein is often used in weight loss regimens, yet the effect of phytoestrogens, the main constituent of soy foods, on body composition is not completely understood. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to investigate the associations between phytoestrogen supplementation and body weight and the main parameters of body composition in postmenopausal women. A literature search was done using 5 electronic databases from inception to April 2018. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with postmenopausal women comparing phytoestrogen supplementation followed by usual diet and placebo were included in the present meta-analysis. From 5932 references, we identified 23 RCTs that met our inclusion criteria, with a total of 1880 postmenopausal women. No association was observed between phytoestrogen supplementation and body weight, body mass index, waist and hip circumference, total fat mass or percentage of body fat. However, the use of phytoestrogens supplementation was associated with a slight decrease in waist-hip ratio; the pooled mean difference was -0.01 cm (95%CI: -0.01 to -0.006). In subgroup analysis, we found a modest decrease in body weight with phytoestrogens supplementation compared with placebo in healthy postmenopausal women [pooled mean difference of changes -0.28 kg (95%CI: -0.52 to -0.04)] and in RCTs with a median number of participants of 66 or less [pooled mean difference of changes -0.49 kg (95%CI: -0.87 to -0.11)]. In contrast, phytoestrogen supplementation was associated with increased body weight in postmenopausal women with preexisting metabolic disorders (prediabetes, type 2 diabetes, prehypertension and hyperlipidemia) [pooled mean difference of changes: 0.78 kg (95%CI: 0.53-1.03)]. In addition, there were some indications that some types of phytoestrogens, such as daidzein, but not soy products or isoflavone mix, could lead to modest adverse changes in body composition in menopausal women. Therefore, future studies should investigate the potential adverse effects of phytoestrogen supplementation on body composition among postmenopausal women.
Topics: Body Composition; Dietary Supplements; Female; Humans; Phytoestrogens; Postmenopause; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic
PubMed: 30049351
DOI: 10.1016/j.maturitas.2018.06.012 -
Journal of Menopausal Medicine Apr 2018The present meta-analysis aimed to assess the effect of the herbal medicine on the vaginal epithelial cells (VECs) among the menopausal subjects.
OBJECTIVES
The present meta-analysis aimed to assess the effect of the herbal medicine on the vaginal epithelial cells (VECs) among the menopausal subjects.
METHODS
The literature related to VECs exposed to various herbal medicines in menopausal women were searched on three databases, MEDLINE (1966-August 2017), Scopus (1990-August 2017) and Cochrane Library (Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials; 2014).
RESULTS
Totally, the meta-analysis was conducted on 11 randomised controlled trials. Based on the findings, the standardized mean difference (SMD) of maturation value (MV) was observed to be elevated by 0.48% (95% interval confidence [CI], 0.108-0.871; = 0.012), as well as the heterogeneity was high (I = 84%; < 0.001). The MV revealed a significant increase in soy group (SMD, 0.358; 95% CI, 0.073-0.871; = 0.014) compared to the control group.
CONCLUSIONS
The herbal medicines exhibited a statistically significant effect on the VECs. A significant effect on the VECs was also found in the subgroup analysis of the patients, who received soy. However, further and extensive studies are required to achieve reliable outcomes.
PubMed: 29765922
DOI: 10.6118/jmm.2018.24.1.11 -
Journal of Menopausal Medicine Dec 2017In this systematic review, the effectiveness of herbal medicines in improving depression and anxiety in menopausal women was assessed.
OBJECTIVES
In this systematic review, the effectiveness of herbal medicines in improving depression and anxiety in menopausal women was assessed.
METHODS
Three following databases were individually searched: MEDLINE (1966-March 2017), SCOPUS (1990-March 2017), and the Cochrane Library (Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials; 2017).
RESULTS
A total of 9 trials were included in this systematic review. Overall, soy was found to have a beneficial effect. Also, fennel had a significant positive effect on menopausal women with depression and anxiety disorder, but not on healthy women. Red clover showed varying effects ranging from significant to non-significant on depression and anxiety. Moreover, kava was found to have a significant beneficial effect on depression and anxiety at dose of 200 mg/days.
CONCLUSIONS
Our study demonstrated that herbal medicines could improve anxiety and depression in among menopausal women. However, the beneficial effect still remains indefinite due to the poor methodology.
PubMed: 29354615
DOI: 10.6118/jmm.2017.23.3.160 -
Iranian Journal of Pharmaceutical... 2017The aim of this study was to perform a meta-analysis of high-quality, randomized, controlled trials (RCTs), to investigate the effectiveness of phytoestrogens in...
The aim of this study was to perform a meta-analysis of high-quality, randomized, controlled trials (RCTs), to investigate the effectiveness of phytoestrogens in alleviating the menopausal symptoms (vaginal atrophy). Variety of databases including PubMed, Scopus, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CCRCT) were searched up to May 2015 according to the below-mentioned pre-specified search strategy and using the relevant MeSH terms. The mean difference was applied as an estimate of the main effect size. Moreover, due to the considerable heterogeneity among studies, the random-effects model was used to obtain the pooled effect size derived from primary studies. Results showed that while the standardized mean difference of vaginal cell maturation index was increased up to 0.164 percent (with the confidence interval at 95%: (-0.419-0.746), but this increase was not statistically significant (=0.582). The absence of the publication bias was confirmed using the Egger's regression intercept test ( = 0.24). Also, meta-analysis of soybeans studies showed that while the standardized mean difference of vaginal maturation index increased 0.072% in (95% CI: -0.42 to 0.5.), this increase was not statistically significant (p = 0.777). The results confirm that soybeans and phytoestrogens have non-significant positive effects on the vaginal atrophy index. Hence, it is suggested that with regard to non-significant positive effects, non-hormonal treatments along with other treatments such as the vaginal gels and so on should be used more in cases with non-severe vaginal atrophy.
PubMed: 29844781
DOI: No ID Found -
Andrology Jul 2016This study uses current epidemiological data to evaluate whether phytoestrogen intake is associated with a reduced risk of prostate cancer. We performed a random-effect... (Review)
Review
This study uses current epidemiological data to evaluate whether phytoestrogen intake is associated with a reduced risk of prostate cancer. We performed a random-effect meta-analysis of published data retrieved from PubMed, Web of Science, ProQuest, and CNKI, which was supplemented by a manual search of relevant references. Study quality was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS). Subgroup analysis and meta-regression were performed to explore the source of heterogeneity. Sensitivity analysis was evaluated to assess the stability of the results. Egger's test and funnel plots were used to detect the existence of publication bias. We retrieved 507 papers, and 29 studies were ultimately confirmed as eligible. The meta-analysis showed that phytoestrogen intake was significantly associated with a reduced risk of prostate cancer, with an odds ratio (OR) of 0.77 (95% CI 0.66-0.88; I(2) = 77.6%). The food/nutritional sources that were significantly associated with a reduced risk of prostate cancer included soy and soy products, tofu, legumes, daidzein, and genistein. Subgroup analysis indicated that the associations were significant among Asians and Caucasians, but not among Africans. Meta-regression revealed that the pooled OR increased with the number of cases in the studies. The results might be affected by publication bias based on the Eggers' test (p = 0.011) and the asymmetry of the funnel plot. Phytoestrogen intake may reduce the risk of prostate cancer in Asians and Caucasians. Regular intake of food that is rich in phytoestrogens, such as soy/soy products or legumes, should be recommended.
Topics: Humans; Incidence; Male; Phytoestrogens; Prostatic Neoplasms; Risk; Risk Reduction Behavior
PubMed: 27260185
DOI: 10.1111/andr.12196 -
Climacteric : the Journal of the... Apr 2015To perform a meta-analysis examining the efficacy of phytoestrogens for the relief of menopausal symptoms. (Meta-Analysis)
Meta-Analysis Review
OBJECTIVE
To perform a meta-analysis examining the efficacy of phytoestrogens for the relief of menopausal symptoms.
METHODS
Medline, Cochrane, EMBASE, and Google Scholar databases were searched until September 30, 2013 using the following key words: vasomotor symptoms, menopausal symptoms, phytoestrogens, isoflavones, coumestrol, soy, red clover. Inclusion criteria were (1) randomized controlled trial (RCT), (2) perimenopausal or postmenopausal women experiencing menopausal symptoms, (3) intervention with an oral phytoestrogen. Outcome measures included Kupperman index (KI) changes, daily hot flush frequency, and the likelihood of side-effects.
RESULTS
Of 543 potentially relevant studies identified, 15 RCTs meeting the inclusion criteria were included. The mean age of the subjects ranged from 49 to 58.3 and 48 to 60.1 years, respectively, in the placebo and phytoestrogen groups. The number of participants ranged from 30 to 252, and the intervention periods ranged from 3 to 12 months. Meta-analysis of the seven studies that reported KI data indicated no significant treatment effect of phytoestrogen as compared to placebo (pooled mean difference = 6.44, p = 0.110). Meta-analysis of the ten studies that reported hot flush data indicated that phytoestrogens result in a significantly greater reduction in hot flush frequency compared to placebo (pooled mean difference = 0.89, p < 0.005). Meta-analysis of the five studies that reported side-effect data showed no significant difference between the two groups (p = 0.175).
CONCLUSION
Phytoestrogens appear to reduce the frequency of hot flushes in menopausal women, without serious side-effects.
Topics: Female; Hot Flashes; Humans; Isoflavones; Menopause; Middle Aged; Phytoestrogens; Phytotherapy; Placebos; Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; Treatment Outcome
PubMed: 25263312
DOI: 10.3109/13697137.2014.966241 -
Maturitas Aug 2014Review controlled clinical trials of isoflavones and amino acid preparation effects on hot flashes and at least one other symptom including mood, sleep, pain, and... (Review)
Review
AIMS
Review controlled clinical trials of isoflavones and amino acid preparation effects on hot flashes and at least one other symptom including mood, sleep, pain, and cognitive function that women report during the menopausal transition and early postmenopause.
METHODS
An experienced reference librarian searched PubMed/Medline, CINAHL Plus, PsycInfo, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Web of Science, EMBASE, AMED, and Alt-Health Watch for English-language randomized controlled trials between 2004 and July 2011. Seventeen trials of isoflavones and amino acid effects on hot flashes and one additional symptom were identified.
RESULTS
In five trials of soy isoflavone preparations, two (6g soy germ extract and 25 g soy protein in soy nuts) significantly decreased hot flashes, but no other symptoms. In the seven trials of other isoflavones, six significantly reduced hot flashes; in addition, red clover (80 mg) significantly reduced mood symptoms; Rexflavone (350 mg) for women with Kupperman Index>20 significantly reduced sleep symptoms; two trials had significant reductions for pain: isoflavone powder (90 mg) and red clover (80 mg). The only trial in this systematic review that significantly reduced cognitive symptoms was red clover (80 mg). In one trial, red clover isoflavone (80 mg/day) significantly relieved hot flashes, mood, pain, and cognitive symptoms. Amino acids yielded no significant results. Equol supplements of 30 mg/day for non-Equol producing women significantly reduced mood symptoms in one trial. The magnolia bark extract combination significantly reduced hot flashes, mood, and sleep symptoms.
CONCLUSIONS
Isoflavone trials yielded significant reductions on hot flashes and co-occurring symptoms during the menopausal transition and postmenopause, but studies require replication with larger sample sizes and attention to measurement of outcomes.
Topics: Affect; Amino Acids; Cognition Disorders; Female; Hot Flashes; Humans; Isoflavones; Menopause; Pain; Phytoestrogens; Postmenopause; Sleep Wake Disorders
PubMed: 24951101
DOI: 10.1016/j.maturitas.2014.05.007