[PHNUTR-L] Consumption of soy may reduce risk of fracture in postmenopausal women

[Kathrynne Holden, MS, RD]

Colleagues, the following is FYI and does not necessarily reflect my own
opinion. I have no further knowledge of the topic.
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Public release date: 12-Sep-2005
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2005-09/jaaj-cos090805.php

Contact: Clinton Colmenares
615-322-4747
JAMA and Archives Journals

Consumption of soy may reduce risk of fracture in postmenopausal women

CHICAGO – Postmenopausal women who consumed high daily levels of soy 
protein had reduced risk of bone fracture, according to a study in the 
September 12 issue of Archives of Internal Medicine, one of the 
JAMA/Archives journals.

Women experience accelerated bone loss at a rate of three to five 
percent per year for about five to seven years after menopause, putting 
them at a high risk for bone fracture, according to background 
information in the article. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and 
new clinical guidelines advise against the use of hormone therapy as a 
first-line treatment for the prevention of osteoporosis in 
postmenopausal women and emphasize alternatives including exercise and 
increasing intake of calcium and vitamin D. Growing evidence suggests a 
potential role for soy in preventing postmenopausal bone loss.

Xianglan Zhang, M.D., M.P.H., from the Vanderbilt University School of 
Medicine, Nashville, and colleagues examined the relationship between 
soy food consumption and bone fractures in 24,403 postmenopausal women. 
The women were part of the Shanghai Women's Health Study, a study of 
approximately 75,000 Chinese women aged 40 to 70 years, conducted 
between March 1997 and May 2000. Participants' usual dietary intake was 
assessed once at the beginning of the study and then during follow-up, 
approximately two to three years later. Average age was 60 years.

The researchers found that soy consumption may reduce the risk of 
fracture in postmenopausal women, especially among those in the early 
years following menopause. During an average follow-up of four and a 
half years, 1,770 fractures were reported. The median (middle value) 
daily intakes of soy protein and soy isoflavones (estrogen-like plant 
chemicals) were 8.5 grams and 38 micrograms, respectively. Participants 
were divided into five categories, according to their soy intake, with 
the lowest intake group consuming less than 4.98 grams of soy per day, 
and the highest group consuming 13.27 grams or more of soy per day. 
Those in the highest soy protein intake group had a 37 percent reduced 
relative risk for fracture compared to the lowest intake group. Women in 
the highest soy isoflavone group had a 35 percent reduced relative risk 
for fracture compared to the lowest isoflavone group.

"In this prospective cohort study of postmenopausal women, we found that 
soy food consumption was associated with a significantly lower risk of 
fracture, particularly among women in the early years following 
menopause," the researchers write. "The potential impact of timing on 
the skeletal effects of soy needs to be further addressed in future 
studies."
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(Arch Intern Med. 2005; 165: 1890 – 1895. Available pre-embargo to media 
at www.jamamedia.org.)

Editor's Note: This study was supported by a research grant from the 
National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Md.

For more information, contact JAMA/Archives Media Relations at 
312-464-JAMA (5262) or email mediarelations at jama-archives.org.
-- 
Kathrynne Holden, MS, RD < fivestar at nutritionucanlivewith.com >
"Ask the Parkinson Dietitian"  http://www.parkinson.org/
"Eat well, stay well with Parkinson's disease"
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