It's a big question among menopausal women: Does eating more soy help or not? And the answer is, maybe. At least that is the finding of a study of women taking isoflavone supplements. This is a promising piece of research because it is beginning to explain the reasons why some women swear by soy supplements, and some say it doesn't help a bit. Both are probably right.
The difference may lie in your ability to produce an estrogen called equol. This estrogen compound is produced during the digestion of soy isoflavones -- plant estrogens that are often recommended to ease the hot flashes and other symptoms of menopause. But some women produce this byproduct and some do not. So if you are a "producer," then soy isoflavones will probably help your symptoms, but if you are a "non-producer" you may not notice any effects at all.
This is important information for future research, because it helps explain why some studies show that women benefit from soy supplements, and some do not. It may not be a function of the soy, but rather on whether women can turn that soy into equol. This research is a great invitation to more studies, where women are selected based on their ability to produce equol, and are then offered soy isoflavones or placebo to treat their menopausal symptoms.
The abstract suggests that the researchers recommend testing a woman for equol before recommending isoflavone supplements. But in everyday life, for women wondering whether to try soy the short answer is, "Why Not?" All things being "equol," couldn't hurt, might help.
