A menopause society does not recommend soy for hot flushes
Its 2023 statement lists soy foods, soy extracts and equol among treatments it does not recommend. The grade means limited or inconsistent evidence, not proof of no effect.
What the study found
Soy, soy extracts and equol sit on the not-recommended list
The 2023 North American Menopause Society statement puts soy foods, soy extracts and equol, a soy metabolite made by gut bacteria, among the treatments it does not recommend for hot flushes. Its grade is Level II: limited or inconsistent evidence, not proof of no effect.
The caveat · A panel's view, with no new data
A position statement inherits whatever its panel weighted, and produces no new estimates of its own. The recommendation covers hot flushes and night sweats only, and says nothing about soy for bone, cholesterol or cancer outcomes.
What we don't know
A menopause society declining to recommend soy is not the same as soy failing: its Level II grade means the evidence is limited or inconsistent. The listing cannot say whether soy eases hot flushes, only that the panel would not back it.