SOY BEAN

A new UK study says that soy contains substances that help combat bone loss and can protect against osteoporosis in women over 50. As women get older and go through menopause, they experience a drop in the level of the hormone estrogen which protects against bone loss. This can make them particularly susceptible to osteoporosis, a disease which leads to 9 million fractures annually worldwide. A research team from the University of Hull in the UK has concluded that a diet rich in soy protein and isoflavones (plant substances which act in a similar way in the body to estrogen) provides protection from bone weakening during menopause.