The Importance of Oestrogen
Oestrogens play a vital role in maintaining a woman's health and well-being over her lifetime. Around the age of 35, a woman's own production of oestrogens may slow. This is a challenging time for many women and the maintenance of lifestyle, well-being and normal body function is important to the enjoyment of this stage of life. The effects of giving supplemental oestrogens are well known. They help relieve the symptoms of menopause, help maintain healthy bones, as well as healthy cholesterol levels. They help maintain arterial wall elasticity, the feel and appearance of the skin, normal mood and emotions, and the ability to concentrate.

A Dietary Connection
If oestrogens are so important to a woman's health, why would nature purposely deprive the body of them?

The incidence of acute menopausal symptoms and long term post menopausal health issues (osteoporosis and cardiovascular disease) is far greater in women in Australia, New Zealand, North America, Canada and Western Europe compared to women in Asian, Central American and Mediterranean countries.

Nature didn't get it wrong, the answers may lie in our diet. Many of us in the West changed our diet away from the type of diet our ancestors ate--the same type of diet typically still eaten in Asian, Central American, and Mediterranean countries. A key factor in traditional Eastern diets is that they contain greater quantities of legumes which are rich in a group of phytoestrogens (plant oestrogens) called isoflavones.

Isoflavones are phytoestrogens with a chemical structure similar to natural human oestrogen. When oestrogen levels start to decline, a woman can feel very unlike her normal self.

Safe, Natural Dietary Approach
Asian, Mediterranean and Latin American communities consume on average 30-50mg of isoflavones each day while it is estimated that women from Western countries, such as Australia, consume only a few milligrams of isoflavones daily¹. Asian type diets have traditionally included legumes rich in isoflavones such as lentils and soy. Legumes are a major source of protein in these countries while meat and dairy products have become a major source of protein in Western diet. Studies now indicate a role for diet in reducing menopausal symptoms, and lower levels of osteoporosis, particularly an Asian diet abundant in isoflavones. ^{2, 3, 4}.

1 Rekers H. Burger HG, Boulet MJ, editors. A Portrait of Menopause. Parkridge, New Jersey: The Parthenon Publishing Group; 1991; p. 23-43. 2 Ismael NN. A study on the menopause in Malaysia. Maturitas 1994;19(3):205-9. 3 Tang GW. The climacteric of Chinese factory workers. Maturitas 1994;19(3):177-82. 4 Atkinson et al (2004) The effects of phytoestrogen isoflavones on bone density in women. A double blind randomised placebo-controlled trial. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

More than 1,000 isoflavones have been identified in plants. Of these, four specific isoflavones have been shown to possess significant individual and specific biological activity. These are: genistein, daidzein, formonentin and biochanin A.

What are the dietary sources of isoflavones?
Isoflavones are found mainly in legumes, such as red clover, lentils, split peas, chick peas, broad beans and soy. However, not all legumes contain all four important isoflavones. For example, red clover contains all four isoflavones whereas soy contains only the two isoflavones daidzein and genistein. The isoflavone content of food also varies, for example red clover also contains 10 to 20 times the quantity of isoflavones found in soy.

¹ Wolf et al (2000) Factors associated with calcium absorption efficiency in pre-and perimenopausal women. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

² Davis CE, Pajak A, Rywik S, et al, 1994 Natural menopause and cardiovascular disease risk factors. The Poland and US Collaborative Study on Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology. Ann Epidemiol 4: 445-448.