Studies of HRT and botanicals report HRT better for hot flashes, but worse for women's memories

Two new studies of hormone replacement therapy and botanicals suggest HRT is more effective for treating menopausal "hot" flashes, but can also have more of an adverse effect on women's memory/cognition, according to a release from the University of Illinois. The studies found the botanicals black cohosh and red clover had significantly less effect than HRT and did not work better than the placebo. However, the researchers from the University of Illinois/Chicago (UIC)reported that botanicals were safe to use with no significant differences between botanical treatments and placebo for breast and endometrial safety, liver enzymes, complete blood count, or lipid profiles. The second study from UIC and Northwestern University enrolled enrolled 66 women from the parent trial to study the effects of botanic treatments and HRT on cognitive abilities. The researchers report that none of the botanicals had either a beneficial or adverse effect on memory. The hormone therapy used in the trial, Prempro, had a slight negative impact on memory, according to the study. The bottom line is the supplements won't hurt people but the jury is still out on whether they provide any real benefits.