Diet can help cool hot flashes

In 2014, then 61-year-old Emma Thompson joked about her hot flashes as she accepted a best actress award from the National Board of Review for her role in “Saving Mr. Banks”: “It’s such a cold night. You know, it’s the first time I’ve been actively grateful for the menopause.” Sound familiar?

Around 85% of postmenopausal women say symptoms such as hot flashes, palpitations and insomnia define the months or years around the cessation of menstruation. Many just tough it out, because for years they were told to take hormone replacement therapy, then told, “No, hormone therapy is too risky,” then, that it’s really OK if done immediately after menopause and for no more than 10-20 years (the correct information in our opinion — if you also take lowdose aspirin).

Too bad this new study, led by Physicians for Responsible Medicine’s founding president Neal Barnard, wasn’t around sooner. It’s a real game changer.

During the 12-week study, the research published in the journal Menopause found that a plantbased diet, rich in soy, reduces moderate-to-severe hot flashes by 84%! Close to 60% of participants became totally free of moderate-to-severe hot flashes — and women who experienced mild hot flashes saw them decrease by 79%.

The diet that produced these remarkable results was lowfat and vegan, based on fruits, vegetables, whole grains and legumes, reduced intake of added oils and fatty foods, and — here’s the kicker — 1/2 cup of cooked non-GMO soybeans daily. In our humble opinion, this diet deserves to be adopted by any woman who’s contending with menopause symptoms.