Information presented at the Society for Endocrinology annual conference in Edinburgh during October 2015 suggests menopausal women who consume a diet rich in soy protein and isoflavones can build up a level of protection against osteoporosis and bone weakening.
Isoflavones are naturally occurring isoflavonoids, some of which are classed as antioxidants. They are found in a number of foods, including soybean, green bean, alfalfa sprout, mung bean sprout, cowpea, kudzu root, and red clover blossom and red clover sprout. There use as food supplements has proved controversial in terms of medical benefit, especially in relation to claims about cancer.
However, a diet that contains isoflavones and soybean could exhibit some effects in terms of resisting bone weakening, when paired with a low-fat diet.
Osteoporosis is a condition where bones become brittle and fragile, as a result of tissue loss. This increases the risk of fractures occurring. With women such bone loss develops immediately after menopause due to lower levels of the hormone estrogen being produced. Isoflavones, found in soybean based foods, have a chemical structure similar to estrogen.
In new research scientists based at the University of Hull examined two hundred women in early menopause. One hundred women were given a daily supplement containing soy protein together with 66 miligrams of isoflavones (a level found in a daily consumption of an oriental diet rich in soy foods.) The remaining group were given a daily supplement containing only soy protein.
Changes to the women’s bone activity were assessed through the measurement of specific blood proteins (called βCTX and P1NP). Here it was found that women on the soy diet with isoflavones had far lower levels of βCTX than the women who only took the soybean supplement.
This finding suggested the rate of bone loss could be slowed down when taking soy protein with isoflavones. Speaking at the conference, the lead scientist Dr. Thozhukat Sathyapalan stated: “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.”
The findings have yet to be published in a journal and they should only be regarded as preliminary, further experiments are required to verify the findings.
