Researchers at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville, TN divided more than 24,000 postmenopausal Chinese women into five groups based on their soy intake from under 5 grams of soy per day to 3 grams or more per day.
The investigators found that subjects consuming the lowest amounts of soy had a significantly increased risk of bone fractures.
The scientists speculate that soy’s isoflavones, plant-based estrogen-like compounds, may be responsible for strengthening bones.