
The known benefits of soy have received an added boost with the publication of findings that it may help prevent bone loss, as well as assist in maintaining healthy body weight and physical fitness.
Appearing in the December issue of Osteoporosis International, the study tracked more than 400 Hong Kong Chinese perimenopausal women for 30 months and investigated their bone mineral density and its determinants.
After finding that menopause status was the strongest determinant of bone changes, soy intake was judged to have a protective effect.
As researchers from the Chinese University of Hong Kong explained: "Analyses revealed that a positive regression slope of body weight was protective for follow-up bone loss at all sites… soy protein intake and walking were protective [for bones]."
References available on request