SynthesisHuman reproduction update
Effects of soy protein and isoflavones on circulating hormone concentrations in pre- and post-menopausal women: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in Human reproduction update. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 85 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
85 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 213 citations in OpenAlex.
- The Anti-Aging Benefits of Phytoestrogens: Insights and Evidence.Current medicinal chemistry · 2026Pooled it
- Effect of Soy Isoflavones on Measures of Estrogenicity: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials.Advances in nutrition (Bethesda, Md.) · 2025Pooled it
- The Effects of Diet and Exercise on Endogenous Estrogens and Subsequent Breast Cancer Risk in Postmenopausal Women.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2021Pooled it
- Current Evidence on Associations of Nutritional Factors with Ovarian Reserve and Timing of Menopause: A Systematic Review.Advances in nutrition (Bethesda, Md.) · 2017Pooled it
- Effects of isoflavones on breast density in pre- and post-menopausal women: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.Human reproduction updatePooled it
- The Effect of Oligopin Supplementation on Hormonal and Metabolic Profiles in the Polycystic Ovary Syndrome: A Randomized Controlled Trial.Frontiers in endocrinology · 2020Trial
- Soy Food Intake and Biomarkers of Breast Cancer Risk: Possible Difference in Asian Women?Nutrition and cancer · 2017Trial
- Double-Blind Randomized 12-Month Soy Intervention Had No Effects on Breast MRI Fibroglandular Tissue Density or Mammographic Density.Cancer prevention research (Philadelphia, Pa.) · 2015Trial
- Soy Isoflavones for Reducing Bone Loss Study: effects of a 3-year trial on hormones, adverse events, and endometrial thickness in postmenopausal women.Menopause (New York, N.Y.) · 2015Trial
- Cytology in nipple aspirate fluid during a randomized soy food intervention among premenopausal women.Nutrition and cancer · 2013Trial
- Urinary estrogen metabolites in two soy trials with premenopausal women.European journal of clinical nutrition · 2012Trial
- Soy foods and urinary isoprostanes: results from a randomized study in premenopausal women.Food & function · 2012Trial
- Soy food supplementation, dietary fat reduction and peripheral blood gene expression in postmenopausal women--a randomized, controlled trial.Molecular nutrition & food research · 2011Trial
- Estrogen levels in nipple aspirate fluid and serum during a randomized soy trial.Cancer epidemiology, biomarkers & prevention : a publication of the American Association for Cancer Research, cosponsored by the American Society of Preventive Oncology · 2011Trial
- The volume of nipple aspirate fluid is not affected by 6 months of treatment with soy foods in premenopausal women.The Journal of nutrition · 2011Trial
- Clinical outcomes of a 2-y soy isoflavone supplementation in menopausal women.The American journal of clinical nutrition · 2011Trial
- The Effect of Reduced Dietary Fat and Soy Supplementation on Circulating Adipocytokines in Postmenopausal Women: A Randomized Controlled 2-Month Trial.Nutrition and cancerTrial
- Is Follicle-Stimulating Hormone (FSH) Misnamed? Rethinking Its Role in Menopause as a Systemic Regulator of Bone, Brain, Metabolism, and Aging.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Review
- Oral Supplementation with a Kudzu Root-Black Soybean Blend Attenuates Ovarian Dysfunction in Mice: Implications for Its Potential Use as a Dietary Supplement in Animal Nutrition.Animals : an open access journal from MDPI · 2026Article
- Biological activities and therapeutic potential of soy isoflavones: a focus on anticancer activity.Molecular biology reports · 2026Review
25 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors at 5 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
BACKGROUND Hormonal effects of soy and isoflavones have been investigated in numerous trials with equivocal findings. We aimed to systematically assess the effects of soy and isoflavones on circulating estrogen and other hormones in pre- and post-menopausal women. METHODS The Cochrane Library, MEDLINE and EMBASE (plus reviews and experts) were searched to December 2007. Inclusion of randomized or residential crossover trials of soy or isoflavones for 4 or more weeks on estrogens, SHBG, FSH, LH, progesterone and thyroid hormones in women was assessed independently in duplicate. Six percent of papers assessed were included. Data concerning participants, interventions, outcomes, potential effect modifiers and trial quality characteristics were extracted independently in duplicate. RESULTS Forty-seven studies (11 of pre-, 35 of post- and 1 of perimenopausal women) were included. In premenopausal women, meta-analysis suggested that soy or isoflavone consumption did not affect primary outcomes estradiol, estrone or SHBG concentrations, but significantly reduced secondary outcomes FSH and LH [by approximately 20% using standardized mean difference (SMD), P = 0.01 and 0.05, respectively]. Menstrual cycle length was increased by 1.05 days (95% CI 0.13, 1.97, 10 studies). In post-menopausal women, there were no statistically significant effects on estradiol, estrone, SHBG, FSH or LH, although there was a small statistically non-significant increase in total estradiol with soy or isoflavones ( approximately 14%, SMD, P = 0.07, 21 studies). CONCLUSIONS Isoflavone-rich soy products decrease FSH and LH in premenopausal women and may increase estradiol in post-menopausal women. The clinical implications of these modest hormonal changes remain to be determined.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.