RESEARCH - Soy food reduces bone fractures in older women

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Soy food reduces bone fractures in older women

9/13/2005

By: Reuters Health

NEW YORK (Reuters Health), Sep 13 - Eating soy products protects the bones

of older women, particularly those in early menopause, according to results

of a large study in China.

While other studies have suggested that the plant estrogens found in soy

help sustain bone mineral density, there have been no large studies

assessing the association between soy consumption and the risk of fracture,

Dr. Xiao-Ou Shu and colleagues note in the Archives of Internal Medicine.

The research team therefore analyzed data from the Shanghai Women's Health

Study, conducted in a population that has a wide range of soy food

consumption.

The analysis included postmenopausal women with no history of fracture or

hormone therapy use who completed a food frequency questionnaire, then were

questioned approximately 4.5 years later regarding the occurrence of

fractures.

The roughly 24,000 women reported a total of 1,770 fractures. Higher soy

protein consumption was significantly associated with lower risk of

fracture, even after accounting for age, calorie intake, socioeconomic

status, other nutrients, and osteoporosis risk factors, report Shu, from the

Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville, Tennessee, and

associates.

The protective effect was most evident among women who were within 10 years

of menopause. For this subgroup, the risk of fracture was reduced by 48

percent among those with the highest intake of soy protein intake compared

to those in the lowest consumption.

For women who had been menopausal for more than 10 years, the risk reduction

was 29%.

" Soy consumption may be particularly beneficial in preventing

menopause-related bone loss, " the authors suggest, " but less effective at

reversing established bone loss. "

However, they add, other studies will be needed before generalizations to

other populations can be made.

Last Updated: 2005-09-12 16:29:47 -0400 (Reuters Health)

SOURCE: Archives of Internal Medicine, September 12, 2005.

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