At present, about two million American men have the disease, despite the common belief that it afflicts only women. Now, new research suggests that a diet enriched with soy protein, which some research has shown can help preserve women's bones, may be able to do the same thing for men, according to Bahram Arjmandi, PhD, associate professor of nutritional science at Oklahoma State University, in Stillwater. The group consuming soy protein had significantly more of this growth factor, according to Arjmandi. He and Khalil presented their findings today at the Experimental Biology 2001 meeting in Orlando. The beneficial effect of soy may be related to the action of isoflavones, Arjmandi suggests, a naturally occurring compound in soy that has a chemical structure similar to estrogen.
Estrogen deficiency is a common feature of osteoporosis in women.
The great majority of research on osteoporosis has been conducted on women, Arjmandi says, but men also lose bone over time and experience fractures as a result. It's that serious of a concern. Such drugs include Fosamax and Actonel. They are part of a class of drugs called bisphosphonates, which are the primary medications given to treat osteoporosis in women. These drugs are approved, however, for use in men and women for a kind of osteoporosis that is caused by long-term use of steroids such as prednisone or cortisone, according to the National Osteoporosis Foundation.