Soy protein consumption and bone mass in early postmenopausal Chinese women
- 1 October 2003
- journal article
- review article
- Published by Springer Science and Business Media LLC in Osteoporosis International
- Vol. 14 (10), 835-842
- https://doi.org/10.1007/s00198-003-1453-9
Abstract
Recent interest has been shown in the potential beneficial effects of phytoestrogens on bone health. As the early years of menopause are a period of rapid bone loss, and the risk for osteoporosis increases substantially, the habitual intake of soy protein and isoflavones may play a role in the retardation of bone loss. This paper reports the results of the baseline cross-sectional analysis of the association between dietary soy protein intake and bone mineral density/content in a population-based study of Chinese women. The sample comprised 454 healthy Chinese women (mean age 55.1±3.57) within the first 12 years of postmenopause. We estimated the dietary intake of soy protein and isoflavones, and other key nutrients, including dietary protein and calcium, using the quantitative food frequency method. Bone mineral density (BMD) and content (BMC) at the spine, hip and total body were measured with a dual energy X-ray densitometer (Hologic 4500A). Soy protein consumption was categorized as quartiles of intake, and related to BMD values at the spine and hip, and BMC of total body. Stratified analyses were carried out among women within or at least 4 years postmenopausal. We observed few differences in BMD/BMC values among the intake quartiles in women within the first 4 years of menopause. However, among the later postmenopausal women, we noted a dose-response relationship with increasing higher BMD values at the trochanter, intertrochanter as well as the total hip and total body with increasing soy protein intake quartiles (P<0.05 from tests for trend). The BMD values differed by about 4–8% between the first and fourth soy protein intake quartiles. Though women from the fourth intake quartile had a 2.9% higher BMD value compared with those from the first intake quartile, the difference was not statistically significant. Stepwise multiple linear regression analyses showed the association between soy intake quartiles and hip BMD as well as total body BMC values remained after adjusting for body weight, which was retained in the final model. Analyses based on soy isoflavones content yielded similar results. This study demonstrated that, among women after the initial few years postmenopausal, soy protein/isoflavones intake had a modest but significant association with hip BMD as well as total body BMC. The effects of soy protein and soy isoflavones on bone health should be further explored in populations with habitual dietary soy intake.Keywords
This publication has 26 references indexed in Scilit:
- Growth Hormone Increases Bone Mineral Content in Postmenopausal Osteoporosis: A Randomized Placebo-Controlled TrialJournal of Bone and Mineral Research, 2003
- Effects of Genistein and Hormone-Replacement Therapy on Bone Loss in Early Postmenopausal Women: A Randomized Double-Blind Placebo-Controlled StudyJournal of Bone and Mineral Research, 2002
- Soy Intake and the Maintenance of Peak Bone Mass in Hong Kong Chinese WomenJournal of Bone and Mineral Research, 2001
- Soy intake related to menopausal symptoms, serum lipids, and bone mineral density in postmenopausal Japanese womenObstetrics & Gynecology, 2001
- Characterization of Perimenopausal Bone Loss: A Prospective StudyJournal of Bone and Mineral Research, 2000
- Effects of phyto-oestrogens on tissuesNutrition Research Reviews, 1999
- Preventive Effects of the Plant Isoflavones, Daidzin and Genistin, on Bone Loss in Ovariectomized Rats Fed a Calcium-Deficient Diet.Biological & Pharmaceutical Bulletin, 1998
- Determinants of Peak Bone Mass in Chinese Women Aged 21–40 Years. III. Physical Activity and Bone Mineral DensityJournal of Bone and Mineral Research, 1997
- Phytoestrogen content of foods—a compendium of literature valuesNutrition and Cancer, 1996
- A longitudinal study of the determinants of bone mass in Chinese women aged 21 to 40 I. Baseline Association of anthropometric measurements with bone mineral densityAnnals of Epidemiology, 1993