Eating soy protein early may prevent bone loss in adulthood

Zee Media Bureau

Washington DC: A new study has found that introducing soy protein at an early life can protect against serious bone loss during adulthood.

This is the first time that scientists have used an animal model to show concrete evidence of a protective effect of an early-life soy protein isolate diet on adult bone loss.

"Appropriate early-life nutrition can optimize peak bone mass. Consumption of soy foods has a variety of health benefits, including amelioration of bone loss during adulthood " said lead researcher Jin Ran.

Research team used a very young female rat model for the discovery.

One group of rats was fed a soy protein isolate diet for 30 days (from postnatal day 24 to 55) and then was switched to a regular standard rodent diet until six months of age.

The rats were altered to mimic postmenopausal bone loss in women to determine the amount of bone loss.

The second group of rats was fed a regular standard rodent diet throughout life.

This group was also altered to mimic postmenopausal bone loss and analyzed to determine bone loss.The researchers found that the first group of rats s compared to the second group of rats.

The study was published in FASEB Journal.

(With ANI inputs)