Doctors Say This Diet Can Reduce Menopause Hot Flashes by 92%

It’s estimated that eight in 10 menopausal women experience hot flashes, reports the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG). Moreover, nearly a third of women get over 10 hot flashes per day, which can be accompanied by sweating, chills, anxiety, and heart palpitations. Studies have linked hot flashes to poor sleep quality, mood changes, and cardiovascular disease. But that doesn’t mean you have to suffer through it. New research highlights one diet that’s been proven to significantly reduce hot flashes.

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Eating plant-based foods can help alleviate menopause symptoms.

Adhering to a plant-based diet can reduce vasomotor symptoms, A.K.A. hot flashes and night sweats, in postmenopausal women by up to 92 percent, according to a new report published in the journal Menopause. Interestingly, these results were consistent in participants who also consumed some highly processed vegan foods.

“We know a plant-based diet has benefits for overall health,” Susan Haas, PhD, an ob-gyn with Lehigh Valley Health Network who was not involved in the study, told HuffPost. “This study shows that a plant-based diet might also help hot flashes, and that it’s OK to get your plant-based foods as processed food found routinely at the grocery store.”

The study looked at 84 postmenopausal women between the ages of 40 and 65, who reported having at least two “moderate-to-severe” hot flashes each day. Half of the participants were randomly assigned to the vegan group, while the others served as the control group.

For 12 weeks, the vegan group followed a low-fat, plant-based diet high in fruits, vegetables, grains, and legumes, as well as a daily half-cup serving of cooked soybeans. Meanwhile, the control group made no changes to their diet.

Both groups were administered a vitamin B-12 dietary supplement, limited to one alcoholic drink per day, and kept up with usual medications and exercise routines. There were no restrictions on processed food consumption for either group.

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Following a vegan diet was associated with a 92 percent reduction in hot flashes.

Their comparison analysis drew on hot flash tracking data and body weight measurements, which were taken at baseline and week 12. Throughout the study, participants recorded the frequency and intensity of their vasomotor symptoms using an app.

Here’s what the researchers observed:

• 92 percent decrease in severe hot flashes in the vegan group
• 88 percent decrease in moderate-to-severe hot flashes in the vegan group vs. a 34 percent decrease in the control group
• The vegan group lost an average of eight pounds, while the control group’s average weight loss was under half a pound

As the authors summarized, “These findings suggest that, in the context of a soybean-supplemented vegan diet, replacing the consumption of both unprocessed or minimally processed and ultra-processed animal foods with plant foods (regardless of the level of processing), was associated with significant weight loss and a reduction in severe hot flashes.”

The study is eye-opening for women’s health, according to Katie Jo Light, MD, a clinical assistant professor at the Texas A&M University College of Medicine, who also spoke with HuffPost. She said it “challenges the assumption that plant-based diets must be ‘clean’ or minimally processed to be effective.” However, she did add, “I still recommend minimizing processed foods when and where able.”

Hot flashes aside, following a plant-based diet offers additional benefits for postmenopausal women.

“Weight gain is a common menopause concern, and a plant-based diet has been shown to reduce body weight and has other metabolic benefits,” noted Haas.

RELATED: 80% of Menopausal Women Are Hurting Their Heart Health—Here’s How.

Previous research also touts vegan diets for hot flash prevention.

Growing evidence shows that a low-fat, vegan diet can significantly improve hot flashes in menopausal women.

A 2023 study appearing in the journal Complementary Therapies in Medicine found that a low-fat, vegan diet with soy reduces menopause hot flashes by up to 95 percent.

Similarly, this paper followed the diets of 84 postmenopausal women for 12 weeks. They observed a 6.4 average weight loss in the vegan group. Additionally, there was a 95 percent reduction in moderate-to-severe hot flashes; a 96 percent reduction in daytime hot flashes; and a 94 percent reduction in nighttime flashes.

“Research, including our own, shows that a vegan diet promotes weight loss and can help fight obesity,” lead author Hana Kahleova, director of clinical research at the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, told Medical News Today of their findings. (Kahleova was also involved in the more recent 2025 Menopause study.)

“A vegan diet also avoids meat and dairy products, which are high in saturated fat and compounds called advanced glycation end-products, both of which cause inflammation that can contribute to hot flashes,” she explained.

Interested in learning more about the vegan diet? A beginner’s guide can be found at U.S. News.