Chennai: With an increase in the incidence of osteoporosis in women, diet and supplementation necessary to maintain bone strength is significant.
A new study has investigated the impact of dietary soy on bone strength in postmenopausal women and it reveals that eating more soy might strengthen bones in women of all ages.
The study conducted by researchers of the University of Missouri in Columbia tested how alterations in diet may impact resilience in bones in woman, especially the effect of soy-based proteins were tested. The study was published in the journal Bone Reports.
After feeding a soy-based diet to half of the rats and a corn-based diet of equal calories to the remaining ones for 30 days, researchers found that the leg bones of soy-fed rats were stronger than the bones of the rats that were fed a corn-based diet. The blood samples, bone strength test and body composition assessment confirmed the bone strength alterations.
Lead author of the study Pamela Hinton said the study showed that women might improve bone strength by adding some soy-based whole foods to their diet. Soy proteins such as foods found in vegetarian diets, could help strengthen bones.
The reduction in bone density is a common problem witnessed in postmenopausal women in the country and various factors such as aging, reduced activity levels and weight gain lead to a reduction in bone strength and impact metabolism negatively. Osteoporosis and bone weakness increases the risk of fractures, which effects inactivity, exacerbating the issue further. The soy-based improvement was seen in rats with and without ovaries, which indicates that even in postmenopausal women bone strength and stiffness will improve with soy-based diets.
What is osteoporosis?
Osteoporosis means “porous bone”. Viewed under a microscope, healthy bone looks like a honeycomb. When osteoporosis occurs, the holes and spaces in the honeycomb are much larger than in healthy bone. Osteoporotic bones have lost density or mass and contain abnormal tissue structure. As bones become less dense, they weaken and are more likely to break. The condition characterized by a decrease in the density of bone, decreasing its strength and resulting in fragile bones. Osteoporosis literally leads to abnormally porous bone that is
compressible, like a sponge. (Source: Internet)
