Key Points
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Cognitive decline in menopause: Many women complain about memory loss and cognitive deficits during the menopausal transition and after menopause.
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Estrogens in cognitive function: Estrogens play a key role in memory and cognition, and hormone replacement therapy once thought to improve mental function, may actually have a negative impact.
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Risks with HRT: Clinical evidence shows increased health risks associated with long-term hormone replacement therapy and many menopausal women are resorting to dietary supplements to alleviate symptoms, including memory loss and cognitive decline.
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Role for phytoestrogens: Supplements containing phytoestrogens (isoflavones), abundant in soy and red clover, are commonly used as “natural” hormone replacement.
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Clinical evidence on dietary supplements: Twelve randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trials were identified which assessed the effect of six different dietary supplements on the performance of various tests of memory and cognitive function in postmenopausal women.
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Soy and isoflavone supplements: Nine out of the twelve RCTs assessed the effect of soy and isoflavone supplements on mental function in menopausal women.
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Study flaws: Most studies had several methodological shortfalls which limit the conclusions drawn.
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Suggestive results: Five studies suggest that supplementation with isoflavones, soy and Gingko biloba significantly improved performance on various tests of memory and cognitive function.
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Conclusions: The current clinical evidence does not support the use of dietary supplements, including soy, isoflavones, red clover, gingko, ginseng, or black cohosh for the amelioration of memory loss and cognitive decline in menopause.
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Abbreviations
- ERβ:
-
Estrogen receptor beta
- HRT:
-
Hormone replacement therapy
- RCT:
-
Randomized controlled trial
- ITT:
-
Intention-to-treat analysis
- CEE/MPA:
-
Conjugated equine estrogens plus medroxyprogesterone acetate
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Clement, Y.N. (2013). An Overview of Menopausal Dietary Supplements and Cognition. In: Hollins Martin, C., Watson, R., Preedy, V. (eds) Nutrition and Diet in Menopause. Nutrition and Health. Humana Press, Totowa, NJ. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-62703-373-2_27
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