Add soy to the List of Bone Protectors
Reported September 13, 2005

(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- New research clearly shows another benefit for soy lovers. In a study from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn., researchers found postmenopausal women who consumed high daily levels of soy protein had a reduced risk of bone fractures.

Right after menopause, women go through accelerated bone loss at a rate of 3 percent to 5 percent each year for up to seven years. This bone loss increases the risk for fractures. Hormone therapy could help, but it comes with potentially serious side effects. In fact, the FDA and new clinical guidelines advise against the use of hormone therapy as a first-line treatment to prevent osteoporosis among postmenopausal women. Instead, alternatives like exercise, calcium, and vitamin D are stressed. Now, there may be another alternative to add to the list.

Researchers studied soy consumption and the risk of fractures in more than 24,000 postmenopausal women. The women were part of the Shanghai Women's Health Study that included about 75,000 Chinese women between ages 40 and 70. The average age of the women in this new study on soy was 60. The women's dietary intake was evaluated once at the beginning of the study and then during follow-up, between two and three years later.

The women were divided into five groups according to how much soy they consumed. Researchers took into account soy protein and soy isoflavones. The lowest intake group consumed less than 4.98 grams of soy per day. The highest intake group consumed 13.27 grams or more per day.

After about four and a half years of follow-up, 1,770 fractures were reported. Results of the study show women with the highest intake of soy protein had a 37-percent reduced relative risk for fracture when compared to women who consumed the lowest amount of soy protein. Those who consumed the highest amount of soy isoflavones had a 35-percent reduced relative risk when compared to the lowest consumers.

Study authors conclude, "We found that soy food consumption was associated with a significantly lower risk of fracture, particularly among women in the early years following menopause. The potential impact of timing on the skeletal effects of soy needs to be further addressed in future studies."