Women's Services Newsletter

Osteoporosis and Diet — Is there a diet influence on bone mineral density?

Postmenopausal Japanese women who consume high amounts of soy products have increased bone mass, according to a report in the January 2000 issue of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

Japanese researchers from Toride Kyodo General Hospital, Ibaraki, Japan, studied 478 postmenopausal women. They classified the subjects according to years since menopause and isoflavone intake, estimated based on reported weekly, monthly and yearly consumption of tofu, fermented soybeans, and other soy products.

The investigators assessed the relationships between isoflavone intake and menopausal symptoms, lipid profiles and bone mineral density.

Researchers note that osteoporosis-related fractures are less frequent in Asian communities than in the West, perhaps because Asians consume 10 to 100 times more isoflavones. “Additional bone-specific components that prevent bone loss or stimulate bone formation might exist in soy products,” the group suggests, such as calcium and vitamin K2.

Obstet Gynecol 2000;97:109-115.

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