Phyto-oestrogens v placebo or non-phyto-oestrogen control for hot flushes and other menopausal symptoms*
| Number of RCTs showing improvement/total number of RCTs measuring outcome | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Phyto-oestrogen | Number of RCTs (n) | Hot flush frequency | Menopausal symptoms |
| *RCTs = randomised controlled trials. Mean study duration was 17 weeks. | |||
| †Improvement in some subscales (vaginal dryness [1 RCT], hot flush severity [2 RCTs], and oestrogenic symptoms [1 RCT]). | |||
| ‡Improvement in Kupperman index score (1 RCT), hot flushes and night sweats (1 RCT), 12 of 15 domains of a symptom questionnaire (1 RCT), and hot flush rate and symptom scores (no statistical comparison) (1 RCT). | |||
| Soy foods, beverages, or powders | 11 (1094) | 1/8 | 2/8† |
| Soy extracts | 9 (854) | 2/6 | 4/5‡ |
| Red clover extracts | 5 (400) | 2/5 | 0/5 |