Menopausal Hot Flashes Are Not Inevitable

[@wephotogal]

Vegetarian for 30 years, vegan for 8. I am 54 years old and haven't had a period in around two years or experienced a single hot flash. My soy consumption is moderate at best. A whole food vegan lifestyle is a win win win.

[@carinaekstrom1]

Same here, vegetarian for 42 years, vegan for 12. Very little soy, but never had any menopause symptoms.

[@cominginthecloudsforus]

This is encouraging. Age 42. Vegetarian for 20+ years.

[@lulbisharfarah9937]

​@@cominginthecloudsforusq à

[@JillWhitcomb1966]

Went through menopause in 2018 at age 52 (I'm now almost 58). No hot flashes, no brain fog, no crabby moods, nothing really horrible aside from a random pimple or two on my jawline now and again. I'm convinced that a plant based diet, limiting caffeine to 400 mg (or less) per day, limiting alcoholic beverages to few and far between, and walking 45 minutes a day helped. Since age 52, I've completed a couple of university degrees, and lived in Wales and Poland as a digital nomad for short stints, as well. Nope, I don't take hormone replacements, nor any prescription medications, either. Like most of us who follow a plant-based diet, we feel decades younger than our actual ages !

[@jennamakesbugs]

Never had a hot flash, 4 years post. The only symptoms I have had are crazy dreams, brain fog, and dry skin. I do eat soy most every day - tofu, milk, or yogurt. My BMI has gone from 37 to 27 this year (yay), and my skin has improved, but otherwise about the same.

[@WeCelebrateEatingPlants]

Yay go you BMI change 🥦❤🥳

[@heidi1651]

I’m a vegan and went into surgical menopause 6 months ago. I am not on HRT. I’ve upped my soy and omega 3 intake and am doing pretty well. I had occasional mild hot flashes about a month in for a few months but they have dissipated. Thank you for your good work.

[@carinaekstrom1]

This seems true to me. I don't have any of the problems described (obesity, etc.) and never noticed any menopause symptoms except my period gradually disappeared.

[@saintamata1841]

When he doe these two part podcasts, I have a ton of trouble remembering and finding the second part. Frustrating. 😢

[@kathysharp7551]

Turning on notifications may help.

[@sophiepoupou33]

Je confirme ! Je suis devenue végétalienne à 48 ans après avoir lu le rapport Campbell et j'ai commencé ma prémenopause et ménopause à 56 ans. Je n'ai jamais ressenti le moindre symptôme de ménopause, pas de bouffée de chaleur, pas de malaise, seul l'arrêt des menstruations. Rien d'autre! Ça m'a surprise car les femmes chez moi ont toutes eu beaucoup de symptômes. Aucun dans mon cas. J'ai maintenant 61 ans. Je suis la seule dans la famille à manger à base de plantes et du tofu.

[@melstark3466]

Unfortunately I get hot flashes everyday and I’m primarily whole food plant based. I’m in my third year dealing with it. I’ve tried everything. So, at this point I’m giving up. I don’t smoke, I don’t consume much soy if at all, and very little alcohol. I am just trying to power through it at this point.

[@eatplantsloveanimals]

Well you haven't tried eating more soy. It seems like you didn't watch the video.

[@jeanhorseman9364]

I am a vegan, perfect weight, run and exercise, age 66, I’ve been plagued by hot flashes for ten years. Taking oestrogen HRT for two years was the only period without hot flashes. I have also tried most things drinking soy milk and eating soy yogurt and tofu. I suspect caffeine makes it worse but I have no other insights to help you. Menopause is not a phase you go through it is the state you find yourself in after 50 for the rest of your life. Get HRT if it suits you ❤

[@NicoleAZ145]

Dr. Greger, I hope you will look into the latest data regarding hormone therapy. The estradiol patch along with oral progesterone remove the risk of blood clot and breast cancer almost entirely, and falling estrogen levels affect women in myriad ways, not just with hot flashes. The data you present here is not current.

[@greenecv]

Thank you for posting this! Was going to say the exact same thing. Love Dr. Gregor, but really disappointed to see this outdated information in this video. It scares women away from a really great intervention.

[@lynoure]

If you know of newer data on HRT, please share the link here. That would help more people than just me.

[@kathysharp7551]

I'm on hormone therapy (a compounded cream). The research I found was not as scary as that presented here (more details below). Regardless, I would still be on it even if these states are true. For me it was a last resort. I am my ideal weight, exercise regularly, eat wfpb (no oil, no sugar and limited salt), do mental health exercises regularly, etc. Hormone therapy was all I could find left to help. I went from feeling hopeless, depressed, and nearly homocidal and suicidal before hormone supplementation to being calm, happy and my normal self again with it. My doc thinks most of my psych symptoms were from disturbed sleep in part due to night sweats (although I do not get daytime hot flashes). I have a special breathable mattress topper and bedding. I even tried eating tempeh, tofu, and/or soy milk daily. But, I still need the hormone therapy for mood regulation. There is a lot of conflicting evidence about hormone supplementation. In part because there are different kinds and used at different stages of life. What I found is specifically for compounded creams that omit the “bad” kind of estrogen, include progesterone and are used during perimenopause. It's important to do your own research though.

[@samanodun6257]

I wonder if it might be a combination of some food items instead of just a single one? I doubt if there's any study, but perhaps algae/seaweed + soy products? Afaik seaweed is also commonly comsumed there. We would have to wait for a study to happen i suppose

[@kathysharp7551]

@@samanodun6257 Thanks for the ideas :)

[@suemichaelsen8486]

I was furious when I learn hormone replacement given my Mom was Premarin (pregnant mare urine collected, dehydrated and formed into capsules)

[@whyamiheredlb]

Same… I am on my 9th week of HRT (estradiol patch/Progesterone pills) and it changed my life. Like you, I eat clean, I have been strength training/in a gym 4 days a week for over 10yrs, normal BMI, I meditate and I use soy milk in my after work protein shakes, yet I still had debilitating hot flashes on the hour, night sweats, fatigue, depression, brain fog ,mood swings. I was still absolutely miserable and HRT was my last resort. I am so grateful to have ME back that I sometimes just want to cry. Perhaps Japanese women eat more Tofu throughout their lifetimes, whereas western women do not, unless they are vegetarian.

[@kathysharp7551]

@@whyamiheredlb I'm really happy for you! 😁💛

[@bunny_smith]

59. Vegan for 19 years. I am nearly (but not quite) obese. I exercise by walking every day for an hour. I do not smoke. During menopause, I POUNDED the soy morning, noon, and night. I just love soy. What can I say? In the entirety of my peri-->menopause 6 years ago and continuing until today, I only every had one night sweat and ZERO other symptoms. I blame the soy.

[@karenmauer2381]

Twenty Nine years after onset of menopause, still hammered with Hot flashes and a miserable Attitude. Plant based diet over 6years, no dairy, meat etc. Soy as much as possible.. Still working on it & seems to be LIFETIME COMMITMENT. Thank you Dr. Greger.

[@Withpeace7597]

I hope you have relief soon!

[@barbarabruce7648]

Vegetarian from age 3, vegan last thirty years. Drink soy and eat tofu everyday. Mostly WFPB (a little vegan junk food). Have extremely terrible menopausal symptoms. Everything. HRT for life. Went through hell without HRT thinking what is wrong. Was doing everything right. WFPB and have been for so long. Finally went on HRT. Suffered for so long. Within two weeks was feeling a Trillion times better.

[@hubertinasimon7098]

Same for me and getting hrt with my doctor tomorrow. I hope I will feel better

[@barbarabruce7648]

@@hubertinasimon7098 You will. I promise.💛

[@mara3842]

I believe you. I used to get horrible PMS. Since I went wfpb I don't get any symptoms whatsoever unless I eat a ton of salty/oily foods. I am very optimistic about my upcoming menopause. I'm tired of women victimizing themselves because of periods. None of the symptoms this society accepts as normal are normal, it's just that the vast majority of the population eats so unhealthily that of course all the consequences of that are now considered normal. Swollen breasts, cramps, mood swings - none of this is normal. Eat well and your body will be well.

[@aldovirooo]

I am vegan and have been for 30 years. Still get insane hot flashes so I am on htr now.

[@caffeinekitty8983]

I wish soy helped - did nothing for me and have been WFPB for 4 years (was junk food vegan before that) and exercise daily with BMI of 22 😥

[@serenewood1828]

Me too. My bmi is 21.2 and I have been plant based for 17 years. I eat lots of soy and I tried even removing it and my hot flashes stay the same. I have been in menopause for 8 years and I haven’t seen any improvement. I actually do see a pattern each month where every 28 to 30 days, my hot flashes get worse… 20 to 30 a day and then it tapers off to about 15 to 20. I have actually had my hot flashes start after the birth of my son at age 23. Every month a day before my period, I would get a bunch of hot flashes. Seems like my body is happy being super regular.

[@HannahAndNemo]

I love you Dr. Greger, but it looks as though you are using outdated info regarding the risks of HRT. Also, I would argue that hot flashes aren’t the number one reason women seek treatment - it’s likely depression and anxiety, but doctors tend to misdiagnose and prescribe SSRIs and SNRIs rather than HRT. I am WFPB and eat soy daily. Because I was misdiagnosed with depression at age 40, I spent 5 years not knowing I was in Peri, and despite a low BMI, I experienced a laundry list of Peri symptoms.

[@portiawells]

Came here thinking the same thing after listing to the podcast on hot flashes. I was really shocked to hear him rattle of the outdated list of risks of HRT. Dr. Gregor-I really value your opinion. If you still believe HRT is risky, can you please do a video/podcast on why you think it is? It seems that there’s a movement of doctors and science that believe HRT is actually cardio-protective and helps against osteoporosis. Thank you!

[@thecleanveganista]

If only I wasn’t allergic to soy. Thankfully turmeric helps keep surgery-induced hot flashes at bay, mostly.

[@galecoldwell-coldwellbanke5477]

Hi all, For those of you who are eating soy, what would you suggest as the easiest and most versatile way to incorporate soy into my diet? I do prepare most of my meals at home, even when I am planning to be in the office all day, however, this is time consuming. I do appreciate any and all comments.

[@hanshton]

natural tofu mixed with your fav vegan yogurt to mimic cottage cheese, which can be used as a pancake topping, with fruit, stri fried tofu, tofu with condiments and veggies on a toast, edamame to any dish, alpro yogurts are from soy and delicious

[@galecoldwell-coldwellbanke5477]

@@hanshton , Thanks!

[@WriteEraseRewrite]

My freezer is packed with frozen whole bean Edamame pods- I steam and serve with a pinch of flake salt, kiddos love the snack too.

[@LGuetz]

I like soy milk lattes (made at home with unsweetened soy milk) and occasionally tofu pudding in addition to the typical tofu meals. It would probably work well in a smoothie too, which is pretty quick to make.

[@WeCelebrateEatingPlants]

Batch cooked dry beans in pressure cooker, freeze in 1.5c, that's 3 days at half cup each, eat like any bean. Also blend for soy milk, can add a couple dates, cinnamon, cacao

[@WeCelebrateEatingPlants]

Thank you 🥦❤

[@user-ajp-4891]

I just turned 39 last week. Yesterday I saw an IG reel of some middle aged women talking about how no one discussed perimenopause with them. And they ended lauding the joys of HRT. Bodybuilders who took too much juice are now on HRT. I knew it was a red flag. Thanks doc for highlighting that in the beginning of this video.

[@karenartis4472]

Same experience here.

[@kathy.7475]

Soy helped me with night sweats during perimenopause.

[@Tyler_Skye77]

So, it’s because of low estrogen? High estrogen? Hormone imbalance? I’ve had hot & cold flashes most of my life (since about 12). Overall, they’ve gotten worse over time. I’m fairly young, I’m underweight (gaining weight is mostly unrealistic for me) & I’ve been vegan for 8 years. I prefer to eat whole foods, but often find the need to eat very soon, before I get sick, so I’ve been eating more processed foods for a while, now. I drink an average of 1-2 bottles of (414mL) Soylent everyday to avoid starvation (on top of meals). What do I do to stop having so many hot & cold flashes?

[@Jace7310]

How do they know the women were overweight before the hot slashes started? Weight gain is another symptom of menopause so they might have put on the weight around the same time as the hot flashes started.

[@Labyrinth22]

If it turns out that Soy is the key, guess I’ll just be buying fans. Because I’m an asthmatic and eating large amounts of soy makes me wheeze. I had a full on Asthma attack after eating a tofu banh mi. (Sad too because it was delicious). Had to cut soy out of my plant based diet. 😭

[@carinaekstrom1]

I hardly ever ate soy when when I went into menopause, and still had no hot flashes or anything. I think obesity is more likely to cause problems.

[@jenwylie4093]

I read somewhere in the past that beans in general help. Hopefully you can find something that helps.

[@Labyrinth22]

@@jenwylie4093 I hope so, I do eat a lot of beans and lentils.

[@eatplantsloveanimals]

There's also phytoestrogens in flax -- maybe try adding ground flax seeds to your diet? Golden flax seeds taste better than brown. You can add to smoothies, oatmeal, or whatever else.

[@Labyrinth22]

@@eatplantsloveanimals I already eat 2 TBSPs a day in my morning coconut yogurt. 👍🏾

[@Kareck-yq2wq]

Is there an alternative for people like me who are allergic to soy?

[@nazokashii]

Thank you so much! So important

[@user-ec8dy3ir4w]

적절한 신체활동

[@AndrewPawley11]

I love this channel!

[@leahthompson1531]

WFPB for three years. Cancer survivor (triple positive, 6 round neo adjuvant therapy and 14 rounds adjuvant therapy) -- have been on Tamoxifen five years. My cancer was estrogen-fueled. Can't do soy. Are there options for people in my situation? I have miserable hot flashes.

[@eatplantsloveanimals]

Phytoestrogens are not the same as estrogen. Phytoestrogens like the ones in soy are cancer protective, not cancer causing.

[@hanshton]

watch videos of menopause barbie here on yt to learn abut menopause and what not taking hormons can cost your health

[@pmw3839]

There is something wrong with the Comments section. I can’t leave a comment except by replying to an existing one. I am 65 and since the age of 60 have had a severe urinary problem. Namely, urge incontinence. I am whole-food vegan, not overweight, have never smoked, and don’t drink alcohol or caffeine. Does anyone have any experience with this problem and can help me? Keegle exercises may have helped a bit, but the issue is largely still there. I wonder if Japanese women of my age have this problem?

[@user-ec8dy3ir4w]

예방의학 예방가능 가장중요

[@tobywollin8978]

So, let's look at the prevalence of hypothyroidism among adults in Japan because I think all that soy in the diet there might have another health cost.

[@c.a.parker5036]

My hot flashes are highly correlated to my stress level.

[@eazyrat]

Hot flashes? Thought it was hot flushes? Who should be embarrassed here me or you?😮

[@JillWhitcomb1966]

In the USA, we refer to them as hot flashes. In the United Kingdom and perhaps some of the Commonwealth countries, they are referred to as hot flushes. It's the same thing, just a different use of words.

[@helenhucker346]

I'm sorry to say that my experience of menopause has not been good despite eating a WFPB diet and regular consumption of Soy. I changed my diet in 2010 as I had just been diagnosed with Ulcerative Colitis and I thought an anti inflammatory diet would help. I believe it did and I have been in remission ever since. Coincidentally I had my last period at the same time and my menopause journey began. I have had many of the symptoms, some worse than others and in 2013 I began using HRT. This helped to some extent but also caused problems such as bleeding. I am still using a medium dose HRT but continue to have some symptoms, notably mood changes which I find very distressing. I am also slim, a non smoker or drinker and I exercise regularly. For some of us the miracle of a plant based diet to treat the menopause has yet to materialise.