Diets rich in foods high in soy isoflavones may help to improve the bone mineral density of the spine and reduce spine bone loss in menopausal women.
The aim of this meta-analysis was to evaluate whether high dietary ingestion of soy isoflavones increased or decreased bone mineral density of the vertebral column (spine) in menopausal women. Ten studies that examined 608 subjects were included in this meta-analysis.
Researchers found out that high consumers of isoflavones from soy foods exhibited a significant increase in spine bone mass compared to their counterparts who rarely consumed or totally avoided eating soy foods. The spine bone mass-enhancing effect of soy isofavones was found to be more effective when more than 90 milligrams of isoflavones is consumed daily for 6 months. The findings of this study reveal that consuming more soy isoflavones may help strengthen the spine of menopausal women.