Plant-based diet aids weight loss and postmenopausal hot flashes, study finds

A diet substituting animal products with plant-based foods — whether unprocessed or ultra-processed — and including soybeans can lead to significant weight loss and a reduction in severe hot flashes in postmenopausal women, according to new research published in the journal Menopause. 

“Avoiding animal products and instead eating vegan foods, including veggie burgers, breads and cereals, and fruits and vegetables, is a prescription for fighting hot flashes,” says Hana Kahleova, MD, PhD, director of clinical research for the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine.

“Even plant-based foods that are considered ultra-processed — like soy milk and vegan meat and yogurt alternatives — bring health benefits, including weight loss and a reduction in hot flashes.”

In the study, 84 postmenopausal women reporting two or more moderate-to-severe hot flashes daily were randomly assigned to either the intervention group that was asked to follow a low-fat vegan diet, including a half cup of cooked soybeans a day, or to the control group that continued their usual diet for 12 weeks.

Severe hot flashes were reduced by 92% in the vegan group and did not change significantly in the control group. Moderate-to-severe hot flashes decreased by 88% in the vegan group compared to 34% in the control group.

Body weight decreased by about 3.6 kg in the vegan group and by about 0.2 kg in the control group.

The new research is a secondary analysis of data from a Physicians Committee study previously published in the journal Menopause. 

Processed food under question

The researchers investigated whether the level of food processing in the foods the participants ate played a role in reducing hot flashes and promoting weight loss.

The study authors analyzed participants’ dietary records and categorized foods — animal products and plant-based foods — using the NOVA system, which assigns foods to categories based on their level of processing.

NOVA category 1 is defined as unprocessed or minimally processed foods; category 2 includes processed ingredients, such as salt, sugar, oil, and butter; category 3 includes processed foods made by adding salt, sugar, and preservatives; and category 4 is composed of ultra-processed foods, greatly modified by industrial techniques and processes.

The findings reveal that consumption of unprocessed, minimally processed, and ultra-processed animal products decreased in the vegan group, which was associated with weight loss and a reduction in severe hot flashes.

The study authors conclude that the level of processing among the plant foods was not associated with changes in body weight or hot flashes. They argue the benefit of increasing plant foods is “independent of processing level.”

In step with Women’s Health Month, Nutrition Insight recently spoke to ADM, Gnosis by Lesaffre, Sirio Pharma, and Finzelberg to explore the latest in cycle-smoothing chocolates, menopause-soothing rhubarb, dissolvable mood-lifting films, and effective forms of folate for fertility.