Oestrogens are important for bone

Oestrogen is well recognised for helping to maintain bone mass ¹⁵ . Oestrogen down regulates the activity of bone-dissolving cells, known as osteoclasts.

Isoflavones from soy have been suggested as having the potential to reduce bone loss due to their estrogen-like effects and as demonstrated by the fact that genistein, one of the isoflavones from soy, acts similarly to the osteoporosis medication, Raloxifene ¹⁶ for the treatment of osteoporosis. Raloxifene belongs to the class of medications known as Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulators (SERM's), and in bone acts like estrogen to reduce bone loss ¹⁷ .