Are Phytoestrogens Good Or Bad For You?

Welcome to my Weekly Wisdom, this post is something a little different because I want to share my opinion on whether phytoestrogens are good or bad for you. Phytoestrogens are plant-derived compounds found in a wide variety of foods, most notably soy, that help us to cope with menopause.

Is Soy Safe?

I’m inundated with people asking me if it is safe to take them. I want to set the record straight because there are tens of thousands of medical papers on these substances. Watch me discussing my thoughts about phytoestrogens in the video below:

Asian communities around the world have been consuming naturally occurring oestrogen as part of their diet for centuries and research shows that oestrogen dependent cancers are about a half of what we experience in the Western World.

Scientifically Based Research

I always recommend things that are scientifically based and if I’m not sure of something I contact a Professor or Academic who has focused on this area. I always have medical papers to support the recommendations. Studies show that isoflavones and phytoestrogens are safe and is has been shown that breast cancer survivors consuming them help reduce their likelihood of getting cancer again. If you have thyroid problems you can still take isoflavones and soy products, although you may have to adjust the dose of your thyroid medication which you can do with your doctor, but it doesn’t have adverse effects.

How Do Isoflavones Work?

Isoflavones attempt to mimic what oestrogen did before the menopause when you had oestrogen flowing through your system. You have little receptor sites within your cells and the oestrogen pops into that and keeps everything satisfied. It keeps your hormones on an even keel but it also protects you from things like heart disease, bone loss osteoporosis, dementia, diabetes and even depression. By consuming naturally occurring oestrogen little and often we can fool the brain into thinking there is normal circulating oestrogen again. So you just need to work out how to take these naturally occurring oestrogens little and often into your system to keep yourself in good shape and symptom-free when you are going through the menopause.

To find out more what is really going on in your body during the menopause, join me for my next free MasterClass.