A new US study found that overweight and obese menopausal women who lost weight during an intensive diet and exercise program suffered fewer and less severe hot flushes compared to women who did not do the program. You can read about the study led by researchers at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) online in the Archives of Internal Medicine, where it appeared on 12 July. Hot flushes, also called hot flashes, are the most common complaint among women going through the menopause, and are often linked to sleeping problems, depression and anxiety…

The findings of a scientific conference examining the growing body of research and potential health benefits of S-equol were published this month in the Journal of Nutrition. Manuscripts based on presentations made at the conference, which was organized by the Life Sciences Research Office (LSRO), reveal data that S-equol is a safe, natural and effective solution to providing relief of menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes and muscle discomfort. S-equol is a compound that is produced by intestinal bacteria through metabolizing or converting daidzien, an isoflavone found in soy…

The dietary supplement SE5-OH containing Natural S-equol, developed from soy, may be appropriate for women in menopause, based on results of recent clinical trials documenting its effectiveness and safety in relieving hot flushes and other symptoms of menopause. Nine articles on equol, soy, menopause, bone health and cancer research appear in a July 2010 supplement to the Journal of Nutrition and are summarized here. About SE5-OH containing Natural S-equol Soybeans contain a naturally occurring compound, the isoflavone called daidzein…

The evolutionary mystery of menopause is a step closer to being solved thanks to research on killer whales. A study by the Universities of Exeter and Cambridge has found a link between killer whales, pilot whales and humans - the only three known species where females stop breeding relatively early in their lifespan. Despite very different social structures between the three species, the research shows that in each case females become increasingly genetically related to those they live with as they get older…

Given that it is not clear whether male menopause actually exists, and inconclusive evidence on testosterone’s effectiveness in treating it, an article in today’s Drug Therapeutics Bulletin (DTB), a BMJ (British Medical Journal) journal, says that the use of synthetic testosterone is questionable. Testosterone levels drop by approximately 1% to 2% annually from the age of 40 years in men, while in women levels of estrogen take a nosedive during the menopause and production stops almost completely. In males, testosterone production does not stop, the DTB says…

Healthy pre-and post-menopausal Japanese women who took a supplement of SE5-OH containing Natural S-equol, a novel soy germ-based ingredient under development for the management of menopausal symptoms, had measures of reproductive hormones that stayed within normal limits throughout the study. These peer-reviewed safety data were presented at the American Medical Women’s Association (AMWA) 2010 annual meeting…

Occupational exposure to certain chemicals while a woman is still young can increase her risk of breast cancer after menopause, researchers say.

Researchers at Georgetown University Medical Center (GUMC) have determined that something in female sex chromosomes appears to trigger a rise in blood pressure after the onset of menopause. This finding challenges the current belief that sex hormones are largely responsible for regulating blood pressure. Their work, reported online Monday in Hypertension, is the first of its kind and involves male mice engineered to have female (XX) sex chromosomes, and female mice with male (XY) chromosomes. The findings suggest that sex chromosomes regulate blood pressure in and of themselves…

Digital mammograms deliver an average of 22% less radiation than film mammograms, according to a study partially funded by the National Cancer Institute and published in the American Journal of Roentgenology, Reuters reports. For the study, researchers analyzed the results of the 2005 Digital Mammographic Imaging Screening Trial involving 49,528 women.

Many American women are prescribed estrogen to combat the negative effects of menopause, such as bone loss and mood swings. Now, new evidence from a Tel Aviv University study suggests that hormone replacement therapy might also protect them - and younger women - from schizophrenia as well.