The most recent findings on soy and isoflavones were presented in Washington DC on the occasion of the 9th International Symposium on the Role of Soy in Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Prevention and Treatment (October 16-19, 2010). A major part of the topics was dedicated to safety and health benefits in menopausal women, and to the issue of soy and breast cancer.
Dr. Iris Kunz (DSM Nutritional Products, Basel, Switzerland) presented the results of a placebo-controlled randomized double blind pilot trial aimed on the investigation of the effect of a combination of genistein (30 mg), polyunsaturated fatty acids (1 g) and vitamins K1 and D3 on bone health and safety in early postmenopausal women (Kunz et al. 2010). All patients (n = 70) received 500 mg calcium. The study duration was 6 months. Parameters for the effect were bone mineral density in different locations (femoral neck, lumbar spine) and markers of bone formation/resorption. After six months of supplementation, bone mineral density of the femoral neck was reduced by 1.2 % in women supplemented with placebo, but had improved by 0.1 % with genistein, as assessed in 58 women with full data sets. Similar results (placebo -1.1 versus genistein +2.3 %) were obtained when the Ward’s triangle was examined as the reference part of the bone. NTX (N-telopeptide) and BALP (Bone Alkaline Phosphatase) were significantly improved (p < 0.05).
No hints to “estrogenic” effects were observed: endometrial thickness, assessed as a parameter of safety of application, remained unchanged. This lack of hormonal effects at the uterus is in accordance with all studies published to date where this parameter was examined.
References
Kunz I, Lappe J, Recker R, Riegger C, Weber P and Heaney RP (2010). A randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind pilot study to investigate the effect of a combination of genistein, polyunsaturated fatty acids and vitamins K1 and D3 on bone health and safety in postmenopausal women (PMW). 9th International Symposium on the Role of Soy in Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Prevention and Treatment, Washington DC, 16-19 October.
Clinical effects 