January/February 2006
HEALTH BYTES

Soy protects against fractures

A recent study further confirmed the protective effect of soy on osteoporosis. In the study, researchers found that postmenopausal women who ate the most soy had a lower risk of bone fractures. Using data from the Shanghai Women's Health Study, which included approximately 75,000 Chinese women aged 40 to 70, researchers found that women who ate 13.27 grams or more per day of soy had a 37 percent lower risk of fracture than those women who ate the least soy (about 5 grams per day). Soy isoflavones were analyzed separately and were found to have similar benefits. The study’s authors suggest that isoflavones in soy stimulate the production of compounds that inhibit the breakdown of bones.

Archives of Internal Medicine, September 2005