Different than Estrogen: This Huge Study Demonstrates the Safety of Soy

This huge soy study is one of the most important studies for women. Demonstrating that soy acts differently from estrogen, it provides evidence that soy can safely ameliorate the symptoms of menopause without the cancer risks of hormone replacement therapy.

Despite all the evidence, women have been cautioned about getting too excited about soy because of the risk that soy isoflavones, being phytoestrogens, could have an unwanted effect on breast cancer. Women are constantly warned away from soy despite all the research that shows soy is safe, and even beneficial, for women with breast cancer. A 2023 systematic review and meta-analysis found that women who have the most isoflavones in their diet have a 29% lower risk of breast cancer. Every 10 mg of isoflavones consumed a day reduced the risk of breast cancer by 11.7% (Nutrients 2023,15(10),2402).

The misinformation stems from assumptions about soy isoflavones acting like estrogen and from over reliance on animal studies that can produce different results from human studies because rodents metabolize soy isoflavones differently.

Though rich in isoflavones that really do help menopause, soy isoflavones behave differently than estrogen. Estrogen binds to both ERα and ERβ estrogen receptors; soy isoflavones bind preferentially to ERβ receptors. That difference is important because ERα exerts proliferative effects, while ERβ exerts antiproliferative effects. That means that soy isoflavones are what is known as selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs), explaining their benefit on menopause without the negative impact of estrogen and hormone replacement therapy.

A new landmark systematic review and meta-analysis has established the safety of soy by looking at 52 controlled studies of 3,285 postmenopausal women. The median duration of the studies was from 13-24 weeks. The median dose of isoflavones was 66-77mg a day.

The results showed that soy isoflavones had no statistically significant effect on any measure of estrogenicity, including endometrial thickness, vaginal maturation index, FSH and estradiol. All of these measures are affected by estrogen, demonstrating that soy isoflavones exert their benefits without estrogenic effect.

All of this suggests that soy isoflavones act as SERMs that have tissue specific effects that, remarkably, allow it to have all of the positive estrogen-like effects without the negative ones. Soy isoflavones, then, really do have benefit for menopause, osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease and memory in postmenopausal women, and really don’t introduce risk for breast, or endometrial, cancer.

The findings of this important study “support soy isoflavones as an alternative therapy” and “the consumption of soy foods,” since they provide all the benefits for menopause without the risks of estrogen and while being “associated with a reduction in the risk of estrogenic-related cancers.”.

Advances in Nutrition. January 2025;16(1):100327.

 

Could Something as Simple as Probiotics Help People with Alzheimer’s?

Did you know that the microbiota in your gut are talking to the cognitive centers in your brain? Recent science shows that they are. And what they have to say may even be able to benefit people with Alzheimer’s disease.

One of the most significant recent advances in health sciences is the exciting discovery that the microbiota in your gut communicate with the cognitive and emotional centers of your brain. This discovery has led to what is now called the microbiota-gut-brain axis.

A recent meta-analysis revealed that spirulina significantly reduces total cholesterol, the heart harmful LDL cholesterol and triglycerides while significantly increasing the heart healthy HDL cholesterol (Pharmacological Research. July 2023;193:106802).

The existence of a microbiota-gut-brain axis suggests the very safe, exciting possibility that taking probiotics, the beneficial bacteria in your gut microbiome, and getting more of the fiber and prebiotics that feed them, could improve cognitive health.

A new systematic review has put the research together and come up with some exciting conclusions.

A growing body of studies now points to a link between alterations in the gut microbiota and the onset of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s. This systematic review included five studies of the effect of the probiotics Bifidobacterium infantis or Bifidobacterium breve in people with Alzheimer’s, mild cognitive impairment or oxidative stress in neurodegenerative processes.

The studies found improvement in cognition with one finding improvement especially in memory and language. In one study, functional magnetic resonance imaging showed substantial increase in functional connectivity between brain regions associated with memory and cognition. In addition to cognitive function, one study also found significant improvement in sleep quality.

This review shows that the intestinal microbiota plays an important role in the development and progression of Alzheimer’s and that supplementing probiotics can potentially slow its progression.

Nutrients 2025.17(3):391.

 

Cinnamon Can Help Diabetics Lower Their Blood Sugar

Cinnamon is not only one of the most promising toppings for your breakfast bun, it is also one of the most promising treatments for diabetes. Long used in food in the modern diet, cinnamon has long been used traditionally as a medicinal herb. This new study adds to the evidence for its diabetes benefits.

This 12 week double-blind, placebo-controlled study gave 127 people either a placebo or 500mg of cinnamon extract twice a day: once before breakfast and once before dinner. The kind of cinnamon used was Cinnamomum zeylanicum.

The people who were taking the cinnamon had significantly greater reductions in fasting blood sugar levels, suggesting "a notable effect on short-term glucose control." The benefit was especially great in people who actually had type 2 diabetes.

The cinnamon extract also lowered LDL-cholesterol, but the advantage over the placebo was not significant.

Cinnamon did its antidiabetic work safely with adverse events being similar to the placebo group.

This new study joins a growing body of research on the benefits of cinnamon for diabetes.

A recent meta-analysis of 24 controlled studies found that supplementing cinnamon significantly reduces fasting blood sugar and insulin resistance (HOMA-IR). Though the current study did not find reductions in HbA1c, the large meta-analysis did. HbA1c is the most important marker of long term blood sugar and diabetes control.

PLoS One. 2025 Jan 24;20(1):e0317904.