Soyabean diet to prevent bone loss
University of Hull in UK has presented a paper suggesting that a diet rich in soyabeans may protect women undergoing menopause against bone loss and osteoporosis, mainly because of types of proteins and isoflavones found in soybeans.
Osteoporosis actually means porous bone; it is a disease of the bone that reduces density and quality of bone, thereby increasing the risk of fracture. Often, there are no symptoms until a fracture occurs.
About 9 million fractures happen due to osteoporosis every year worldwide – or one every 3 seconds, mostly in women. After menopause bone loss occurs more rapidly in women because they produce less estrogen, a sex hormone that also protects against bone loss.
Soybeans contain isoflavones, compounds that have a chemical structure that is similar to estrogen. This led scientists to speculate that isoflavones may have a similar effect on bones leading to the conclusion.
Lead author Dr. Thozhukat Sathyapalan, department of academic cardiology, University of Hull, UK, says, ‘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.’
Sathyapalan explains that the 66 mg of isoflavone in the daily supplements that the women took is about the same as that consumed in an oriental diet, which is rich is soybean foods. The average Western diet, on the other hand, only contains around 2-16 mg of isoflavone.
Dr. Sathyapalan suggests supplementing a Western diet with isoflavones could be a way to significantly lower the rate of women being diagnosed with osteoporosis.
The researchers also found that women who took soy protein and isoflavones supplements also showed an improvement of cardiovascular risk markers like reduction in cholesterol and triglycerides levels.
The research team now plans to study the long-term effects of soy protein and isoflavones supplements, and if they positively impact other health benefits.
Earlier this year, a study published in JAMA, an Internal Medicine journal, had suggested that post-menopausal women who take high-dose vitamin D might not experience the benefits they expect, like improvements in bone mineral density, muscle mass or muscle function.
Looks like soya could be a better option than even vitamin D for stronger bones especially for women around the menopausal years.
