A diet rich in the types of protein and isoflavones found in soybeans may protect women undergoing menopause against bone loss and osteoporosis.

Share on Pinterest The amount of isoflavone in the daily supplements that the women took is about the same as that consumed in an oriental diet, which is rich in soybean foods.

This was the preliminary finding of a study, by researchers from the University of Hull in the UK, presented at the Society for Endocrinology annual conference, which is being held this week in Edinburgh.

Osteoporosis – which literally means porous bone – is a disease that reduces density and quality of bone, increasing the risk of fracture. Often, there are no symptoms until a fracture occurs.

Osteoporosis is responsible for some 9 million fractures a year worldwide – or one every 3 seconds. The disease is more common in women. Bone loss occurs more rapidly in women after menopause 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 has led scientists to speculate that they may therefore have a similar effect on bones.

The study recruited 200 women in early menopause and randomized them to two groups. In one group, the women took a daily supplement of 30 g soy protein with 66 mg isoflavones, and in the other group, the women also took a daily supplement of the same amount of soy protein but without the isoflavones.