Osteoporosis Medication

Osteoporosis is a disease in which bones become fragile and more likely to break. If not prevented or if left untreated, osteoporosis can progress painlessly until a bone breaks. These broken bones, also known as fractures, occur typically in the hip, spine, and wrist.

According to the "Osteoporosis Prevention Using Soy" study, about 10 million people suffer from osteoporosis in the United States of which women account for 80% of the cases. They cite figures that 1 in 2 women will suffer an osteoporosis-related fracture in her lifetime.

The use of over-the-counter soy isoflavone supplement is becoming common among postmenopausal women for the prevention of osteoporosis. Preliminary studies have indicated that soy isoflavones can prevent osteoporosis and can reduce the symptoms of menopause. This is in contrast to the current North American trend: over-consumption of dairy products in order to try prevent it. In Asian countries, where calcium from diary sources is perhaps 10% of western countries, osteoporosis is virtually unknown.

Soy is seen as a natural and healthy alternative to the variety of drugs currently on the market for treatment of osteoporosis. These osteoporosis medications, such as Bisphosphonates, Parathyroid Hormone, and Calcitonin, have a variety of side effects, and are all aimed at either building up bones (anabolic agents) and preventing further breakdown (antiresorptive agents). In some cases, hormone replacement treatment or designer hormones are used.

Short term studies have shown isoflavones possess powerful bone building characteristics that inhibit the activity of cells (osteoclasts) which are responsible for breaking down bone, while stimulating the activity of cells (osteoblasts) which build up bone. Clinical data suggests that 80mg of isoflavones per day are needed to receive the benefits related to bone health.

Isoflavones help in the preservation of the bones and fight osteoporosis. In spite of their significantly weaker estrogen action, isoflavones have powerful bone building effects. This is the reason why in China and Japan, osteoporosis is very rare after menopause, despite a low consumption of dairy products, whereas in Europe and North America the opposite happens.

The important isoflavones are genistein and daidzein. Genistein is the isoflavone mainly responsible for the reduction of menopausal symptoms, whereas daidzein is the most protective isoflavone against osteoporosis. In the human body there is a constant process of breaking down and remaking of bones. The osteoclasts are cells which break down the bone, whereas the osteoblast build up bone. If the activity of the osteoclasts is higher than that of the osteoblasts, there will be a gradual reduction of bone strength, leading to osteoporosis. Isoflavones inhibit the activity of osteoclasts, while stimulating the activity of osteoblasts. This moderate stimulus is sufficient enough to stimulate a continuous formation of bones. Isoflavones therefore offer a real alternative to Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) for women who are unable or unwilling to take hormones.

Chen Yu-Ming has demonstrated in his study "Beneficial effect of soy isoflavones on bone mineral content was modified by years since menopause, body weight, and calcium intake: a double-blind, randomized, controlled trial" that soy isoflavones have a beneficial effect on bone mineral content (BMC), especially if women were over 4 years in menopause, had a lower body weight or a lower calcium intake.

A 2004 study on soy and osteoporosis concluded that "Until more definite data are available, although soy foods and isoflavones can not be viewed as substitutes for established anti-osteoporotic medications health professionals can feel justified in encouraging postmenopausal women concerned about bone health to incorporate soyfoods into their diet." (Messina M, Ho S, Alekel DL.)

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