Sunday, May 27, 2007

More benefits

Many soy foods are naturally high in calcium as this mineral is added as a coagulating agent. In addition, soy also contains magnesium and boron, which are important in bone health.
In addition, isoflavones in soy foods may inhibit the breakdown of bones. Daidzein, a type of isoflavone, is actually very similar to the drug ipriflavone, which is used throughout Europe and Asia to treat osteoporosis.
A study completed by Erdman in the early 1990's inspired the many studies that followed to investigate the possible benefits of soy on bone health. Erdman's study focused on post-menopausal women who consumed 40 g of isolated soy protein daily for 6 months. Erdman found that these women had significantly increased bone mineral density as compared to the controls.
A recent study published in 2003 by the Oklahoma State University showed that soy protein was more effective in bone formation and retention of calcium inside the body (excreting less calcium in urine) compared to milk protein. In addition, researchers also found that the benefits of soy on bone health were more pronounced in postmenopausal women who were not on hormone replacement therapy.

No comments: