Red Clover & Soy Advantages in Aging

The health effects of soy have been found to include a reduction in hot flashes and mood swings in women experiencing menopause, and red clover has shown similar benefits. Additionally, a 2006 National Institutes of Health Study on the use of red clover and soy for aging, cited in "Climacteric," the journal of the International Menopause Society, concluded, "soy foods and red clover appear to have a small but positive health effect on plasma lipid concentrations, bone mass density, and cognitive abilities."

Red Clover

• The pinkish-red flowers are the source of red clover herb's medicinal properties.

  Red clover appears to be beneficial to blood cholesterol levels. According to the "Climacteric" article, "red clover reduces levels of triglycerides and increases high density lipoprotein cholesterol." Red clover also benefits women in menopause, due to the phytoestrogens it contains. Red clover helps reduce hot flashes and mood swings, with short-term use. Fem Health recommends that before using red clover, women should be aware of both its beneficial and adverse effects. The phytoestrogens in red clover can have an effect similar to that of using hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to treat menopause.

Soy

• Soybeans are full of protein and are a great addition to most diets.

  Isoflavones, like those found in soy, are thought to affect many aspects of the aging process, such as bone-density, brain function and cholesterol levels. According to research published in the "JAMA," the journal of the American Medical Association, "Soy protein appears to reduce levels of total cholesterol and low density lipoprotein cholesterol." However, a double-blind randomized study "does not support the hypothesis that the use of soy protein supplement containing isoflavones improves cognitive function, bone mineral density, or plasma lipids in healthy postmenopausal women when started at the age of 60 years or later," according to "Climacteric." Although soy has been used as an alternative to HRT, it has an "estrogenic effect" and may potentially promote tumor recurrence in breast cancer survivors, according to The U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ).

Aging

• Watching our parents and grandparents age reminds us of our own mortality.

  Aging is a result of cell death. As we age, our cells start to break down and don't function as well as they once did. Old cells eventually die, which is part of the aging process. As the "Merck Manual" states, "the first signs of aging involve the musculoskeletal system. The eyes, followed by the ears, begin to change early in mid-life. Most internal functions also decline with aging." The fact that soy and red clover have been shown to positively affect plasma lipid concentrations, bone mass density and cognitive abilities indicates that they can be useful in mitigating some of these effects of aging.