A new study suggests that menopausal women could avoid osteoporosis by consuming soybean foods.
Approximately 300,000 hospital admissions related to hip fractures, mostly women experiencing bone loss during menopause, are recorded in the U.S. each year. While men are also likely to experience osteoporosis 50 years and over, the rate is higher among women of the same age at 16 percent, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Menopausal women are prone to osteoporosis because the body is producing less estrogen, a hormone known to protect against bone loss. One can take medications and do lifestyle change to protect themselves from the condition, but a new study suggests an easier way-eat soybean foods.
Soybean foods are rich in isoflavones, a chemical that is similar to estrogen.
Researchers from the University of Hull in Yorkshire, England recruited 200 women in early menopausal age. The participants were grouped to take 66 milligrams of soy protein supplement with isoflavones or soy protein alone daily for six months. After the study period, they took blood samples from the participants to assess changes in their bone activity.
The analysis showed that women who took the soy protein supplement with isoflavones had slowed down their rate of bone loss and lowered their risk of developing osteoporosis compared to those who took soy protein alone.
"We found that soy protein and isoflavones are a safe and effective option for improving bone health in women during early menopause. The actions of soy appear to mimic that of conventional osteoporosis drugs," Thozhukat Sathyapalan, study lead author from the University of Hull, said in a news release.
"The 66 mg of isoflavone that we use in this study is equivalent to eating an oriental diet, which is rich in soy foods. In contrast, we only get around 2-16 mg of isoflavone with the average western diet," Sathyapalan added.
"Supplementing our food with isoflavones could lead to a significant decrease in the number of women being diagnosed with osteoporosis."
The researchers plan to continue their study to determine if there are other health benefits that soybean foods can provide aside from preventing osteoporosis on menopausal women.
The study was presented at the Society for Endocrinology annual conference in Edinburgh.
