Abstract:

Soybeans and soyfoods are for practical purposes, the only nutritionally relevant dietary sources of isoflavones. Soybean isoflavones are structurally similar to estrogen, bind to estrogen receptors, and exhibit weak estrogenic activity. Soyfoods and soybean constituents have come under investigation for their role in chronic disease prevention, especially for heart disease and cancer. Two factors, in particular, provided the basis for initial speculation that soy might contribute to bone health. These are the estrogenic properties of soybean isoflavones and the effectiveness of the synthetic isoflavone, ipriflavone, in reducing bone loss in perimenopausal and postmenopausal women. In addition, several human studies have shown that soy protein, when substituted for animal protein, decreases calcium excretion. This review will focus on some of the clinical researches relevant to the effects of both soy protein and soybean isoflavones on bone health.

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