Fem Adapt
A Natural Solution for Menopausal Symptoms
HIGHLIGHTS
Helps reduce hot flashes and night sweats while also promoting mood balance
Helps balance hormones, reducing the risk of post-menopausal diseases
Provides four of the most effective and research-backed phytoestrogens
THE AOR DIFFERENCE
Fem Adapt is AOR’s premium menopause formula that is especially useful for hot flashes. While many formulas on the market contain ingredients with minimal research in menopausal women, doses that are too low or unstandardized botanical extracts, Fem Adapt provides the most powerful, clinically studied, standardized phytoestrogens in research-backed doses. Fem Adapt contains flax lignans, soy isoflavones, black cohosh and a standardized hops extract, which collectively can reduce the severity and frequency of hot flashes and other menopausal concerns.
AOR’s Fem Adapt formula not only provides safe and effective relief from menopausal symptoms, but also provides protection against health problems for which the risk increases after menopause, such as cardiovascular complications, osteoporosis and others. This is due to the mild estrogenic activity of the phytoestrogens in the product, which can serve as natural hormone replacement therapy. There is confusion as to whether phytoestrogens increase the risk of estrogen-dependent cancers. Many recent studies have found that phytoestrogens do not increase the risk of cancer.
Many women turn to conventional hormone therapies to manage physical difficulties experienced during menopause, or to over-the-counter pain killers, anti-inflammatories or birth control pills to alleviate the symptoms of PMS. Unfortunately some of the therapies and medications have undesirable side effects.
OTHER APPLICATIONS
Additionally, some of the ingredients in Fem Adapt have been used in herbal medicine to help relieve premenstrual symptoms, including abdominal cramps, muscle and joint pain, sciatic type nerve pain and nervous tension.
WHAT IS MENOPAUSE?
Menopause refers to the permanent cessation of ovulation and menstrual periods in women, which can occur either naturally or as a result of medical or surgical intervention. It is a natural physiological event that results in a decreased production of sex hormones ‒ estrogen and progesterone ‒ by the ovaries. The primary symptoms of menopause include hot flashes and night sweats. Secondary symptoms can include anxiety, mood swings, depression, loss of libido and vaginal dryness. Hot flashes are thought to result from a decline in circulating estradiol (E2) that induces a thermoregulatory dysfunction mediated by the hypothalamus.
A POWER PACKED COMBINATION
Soy Genistein - Overview
In Asia, only 10-20% of menopausal women experience hot flashes, while in North America 70-80% of women experience hot flashes. Researchers have hypothesized that this difference is due to dietary factors, including the consumption of isoflavones found in soy. Genistein is one of the key isoflavones found in soy and has been researched in menopausal women due to its structural similarity to estrogen, making it a phytoestrogen. Many clinical trials have shown genistein supplementation to reduce the number and severity of hot flashes during menopause.
Soy Genistein - Research
Genistein structurally resembles estrogen and acts as a selective estrogen receptor modulator. It has been shown in lab studies to have estrogenic effects by weakly binding to estrogen receptors (ER). For this reason it is commonly referred to as a phytoestrogen. It competes with estradiol and binds more strongly to ER-β than ER-αestrogen receptors. The β-estrogen receptor predominates in the heart, vasculature, bone, and bladder and may account for some of genistein’s beneficial effects. Genistein binds more weakly to ERs than estradiol, and induces estrogenic effects with less potency than estradiol. It is suggested that genistein serves as a natural alternative to conventional hormonal therapy, which has been associated with an increased risk of breast cancer, stroke, venous thromboembolism and coronary heart disease.
Genistein may also help control bone cell metabolism by its higher affinity for β-estrogen receptors, which are found more in bone than α-estrogen receptors, which are found more in reproductive tissue. Genistein has been shown to directly inhibit osteoclast activity, which is involved in the destruction of bone and increase osteoblastic proliferation, which is involved in bone formation. Studies have shown genistein to decrease bone resorption markers and
increase bone formation markers, leading to a net gain in bone mass. These findings have been confirmed using the urinary excretion markers pyridinoline and deoxypyridinoline (markers of bone resorption), which were found to be decreased in research subjects taking genistein. In one clinical trial lasting over two years in duration, subjects supplemented with genistein and experienced an improvement in bone mineral density (BMD), as well as a significant decrease in bone fracture risk.
Flax Lignans - Overview
Lignans are naturally occurring compounds found in the cell walls of plants such as fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds such as flax (Linum usitatissimum). They are transformed in the colon to enterodiol and enterolactone which are then absorbed into the body via enterohepatic circulation. Studies show that enterolactone and enterodiol are helpful in conditions associated with estrogen deficiency. Lignan supplementation has also been shown to increase the production of 2-hydroxyestrogen. Research shows having a higher ratio of 2- hydroxyestrogen to 16α-hydroxyestrogen has a protective effect in women.
Flax Lignans - Research
SDG or secoisolariciresinol diglucoside from flax (Linum usitatissimum) is specialized lignan that has high bioavailability due to the monomers compared to the large polymers usually found in traditional flax supplements. SDG is converted by mammalian bacteria in the colon into enterodiol (END) and enterolactone (ENL) which are the active human lignans. These lignans (remarkably similar to the human estrogens) are extensively studied for their cardioprotective, menopausal, bone density and anti-inflammatory effects in humans. A recent study in women using 500mg of SDG for 6 weeks was found to reduce C-reactive protein, one of the ultra-sensitive markers of inflammation in the body. Another study showed that women had significantly reduced cholesterol and other heart health indices when taking SDG monomers. Animal studies have confirmed the benefits of SDG for tissues in the breast, colon, ovary and the endometrium. An important finding was that SDG exerts a potent anti-angiogenesis effect particularly by inhibiting the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and promoting apoptosis. These findings have huge beneficial implications for cancer prevention. It is also hypothesized that lignans stimulate sex hormone binding globulin (SHBG) from the liver, inhibiting aromatase activity.
Hops Lifenol - Overview
Lifenol is a patented hops extract which has been clinically studied in France in menopausal women. Hops have been used in the beer industry for hundreds of years but in 1988 one of the active components of hops ‒ 8-prenylnaringenin (8PN) was identified as having estrogenic properties; it is considered the most potent phytoestrogen. 8PN has been shown to have a higher affinity for estrogenic receptors than coumesterol (from clover), genistein or dadzein (from soy) due to a unique side chain.
Hops Lifenol - Research
A double blind randomized cross over study (specifically designed to take into account the high degree of “placebo” effect common with menopausal studies) showed that 8PN reduced hot flashes and night sweats and may be a good adjunct to other post-menopausal treatments.
Black Cohosh - Overview
Black Cohosh is a flowering plant native to North America originally used by the Native Americans. It has been traditionally used in herbal medicine for the relief of menstrual- associated pain and the pain associated with neuralgia conditions such as sciatica. It has been effective in relieving the muscle and joint pain associated with rheumatic conditions such as osteoarthritis, fibrositis and rheumatoid arthritis. As it has a calming effect, it is also useful in nervous conditions. Recent research has found that black cohosh may actually have mood boosting and anti-osteoporotic activities, which help reduce some of the secondary symptoms associated with menopause.
Black Cohosh - Research
The effects of black cohosh on menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes and night sweats are under scrutiny, as are its traditional uses for pain related to PMS and its content of estrogen-like compounds. However, more recent research has revealed that black cohosh may have serotonin-like compounds that activate serotonin receptors. This is important because low mood can be secondary symptoms to menopause and PMS. In addition, newer clinical studies have shown that compounds in black cohosh may inhibit the formation of osteoclasts which are cells that break down bone. Bone loss is one of the top concerns among post-menopausal women. For these reasons, black cohosh is still considered to be advantageous for menopausal women.
PMS AND MENSTRUAL MIGRAINES
Some of the ingredients in Fem Adapt such as soy isoflavones and black cohosh have also been traditionally used to treat PMS symptoms and have been clinically found to reduce the frequency of migraine attacks associated with menstruation. This makes Fem Adapt helpful for peri-menopausal and menopausal women dealing with the uncomfortable symptoms of hormone fluctuations.
Menstrual Migraines - Research
Several older studies also found some of these ingredients helpful for reducing migraines associated with menstruation. One study found that a blend of the phytoestrogens black cohosh, dong quai and soy isoflavones significantly reduce the frequency of migraine attacks versus placebo from months 2-6. Another study administered genistein and daidzein, two phytoestrogens found in soy isoflavones and found reduced frequency of migraine attacks over 3 months.
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