Soybean delays menopause: Research

BOGOR: Research conducted by a student of the Bogor Institute of Agriculture (IPB), West Java, has revealed that beans and pulses, especially soybeans, are effective in delaying menopause.

Herry Winarsi said in her doctorate dissertation that isoflavon in soybeans has a structure similar to estrogen and could therefore act as a replacement for the hormone.

Estrogen is a female hormone that declines in quantity when a woman enters the premenopausal stage.

"Nevertheless, the potency of isoflavon is much weaker than that of estrogen," said Winarsi, whose research formed the basis for her dissertation.

Women usually reach the premenopausal stage after 40 years of age. Premenopausal symptoms include wrinkles, hot flushes, vaginal dryness, insomnia and fatigue.

Premenopause can also trigger various degenerative illnesses such as cancer and osteoporosis, said Herry.

She tested a soybean beverage that she had developed on 23 premenopausal women for two months, and results showed that the drink had improved their immune system and reduced vaginal dryness and fatigue. -- Antara