Soy protein can cut bone fracture risk

Eating soy-based foods lessens the progress of osteoporosis in women after menopause, when hormonal changes can rapidly thin bones and increase the risk of fractures.

Bone loss is particularly quick in women during the five to seven years after menopause when a drop-off in estrogen levels may cause them to lose up to 5 percent of bone mass yearly, a report published in the Archives of Internal Medicine said in September 2005.

Replacing estrogen through hormone replacement therapy has been found to carry health risks, including stroke, and soy protein has been viewed as a possible alternative.

Other ways for menopausal women to retard bone loss suggested by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration are to exercise more and increase consumption of calcium and vitamin D.

"In this prospective cohort study of post-menopausal 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," he wrote.

—Reuters Limited.