July 26, 2001 – A new study shows that black cohosh is safe and effective in alleviating symptoms of menopause in women with breast cancer for whom hormone therapy is contraindicated. Indeed, the results of the study, conducted by DD Judith S. Jacobson of Columbia University, indicate that black cohosh has no effect on hormone levels, hormones can increase the risk of cancer recurrence.
For two months, the researcher and her team studied two groups: the first taking black cohosh (RemiFemin (R) Menopause) and the second, a placebo. While in the two groups, there was an equal reduction of 27% in hot flashes, the first group reported, for its part, a significant decrease in sweating, a symptom of the most troublesome menopause.
According to DD Mary Hardy, a women’s health authority with the Cedars-Sinai Integrative Group of Los Angeles, hot flashes in women with breast cancer require a palliative-care-like approach, where some relief can be obtained. ‘it either is greatly appreciated.
the RemiFemin, a black cohosh supplement that has been sold around the world for 40 years, has already been studied in healthy women in several studies. The results of these studies have been convincing: the RemiFemin helped reduce hot flashes by 70% after 12 weeks of use. The efficacy of black cohosh demonstrated by these studies does not seem to correspond fully with the results of DD Jacobson. However, their discrepancy is explained by the following factors:
- The heterogeneity of the group studied: 85 “survivors” of breast cancer were participating in the research, 42 of whom received black cohosh and a third of whom had not reached the age of menopause.
- The influence of tamoxifen: the majority of women took this drug, usually prescribed for breast cancer. Its side effects are similar to certain symptoms of menopause (hot flashes and excessive sweating). Experts have hypothesized that “natural” hot flashes and those caused by the drug would differ in nature and intensity.
- The duration of the search: on the label of the RemiFemin, it is stated that relief of symptoms comes after 12 weeks of use. Thus, a longer study could have given different results.
- The dosage was probably not appropriate for patients taking tamoxifen.
Claire Tanguay – PasseportSanté.net
According to PRNewswire.
