THE EFFECT OF DIETARY SOY PROTEIN ISOLATE (SPI) ON HOT FLUSHES IN POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN

The main objective of this research was to determine the effect of dietary Soy Protein Isolate (SPI) on hot flushes in postmenopausal women and to compare the Kupperman index in two groups of the subjects. The study design was a double – blind, randomized, placebo – controlled trial on 61 menopausal women with at least three moderate hot flushes per 24 hours. Information was obtained from eligible subjects by using observation record-sheets and diet records. Candidates were screened by physical and pelvic examnations and FSH tests. Subjects were assigned randomly to receive daily either 50 grams of SPI or placebo. For each subject, the study lasted 4 weeks but took 6 months to cover all the candidates. The results were recorded and finally descriptive staistics t and Chi–Square test were used to analyze the data. The results indicated that the mean number of hot flushes per 24 h in the case group, dropped from 10.38 to 5.45 at week 3 and 4 (p<0.001). The mean of severity of hot flushes in the SPI group at the begining was 28.90, which dropped to 9.00 at week 4(p<0.001). The mean of Kupperman Index in the case group before intervention was 29.76, which decreased to 11.38 at week 4(p<0.0). The results indicate that SPI caused a decrease in the mean number and severtiy of hot flushes