Dietary Phytoestrogens Benefit Postmenopausal Health.

2001 JUL 26 - (NewsRx Network) -- New research shows a link between postmenopausal bone health and dietary phytoestrogens.

The data were presented June 22, 2001, at ENDO 2001, the 83rd annual meeting of The Endocrine Society, which was held in Denver, Colorado. A panel of researchers presented two studies, which demonstrated that phytoestrogens - a compound found in legumes such as soybeans, peas, lentils, soybean sprouts, podded plants, and soy products such as tofu and soymilk - may benefit the health and, specifically, bones of postmenopausal women.

In a study out of China, researchers studied 357 postmenopausal Chinese women to determine whether a link existed between dietary phytoestrogen intake and bone mineral density. Among the subjects, the average phytoestrogen intake was 21 mg/day - a number that is seven times higher than the phytoestrogen intake of Western populations. The study showed a link between high phytoestrogen intake and increases in bone mineral density.

"We found that women who ate 60 milligrams of phytoestrogens per day, which is the equivalent of two pieces of tofu or three cups of soy milk, had stronger bones" said Dr. Annie Kung, professor at the University of Hong Kong, Queen Mary Hospital. "These results suggest that phytoestrogens might help protect women's bones as they go through menopause."

Dr. Lee-Jane Lu, an investigator in nutrition research, and her colleagues, Drs. Manubai Nagamani and Karl E. Anderson, at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, presented a study conducted in the university's General Clinical ...