Recommendations for bone health

The US Food and Drug Administration ²⁶ and newer clinical guidelines ²⁷ recommend against the use of HRT as a first line therapy for preventing osteoporosis in menopausal women, due to concerns re breast cancer and stroke. They place more emphasis on lifestyle alternatives including exercise, increasing calcium and vitamin D intake and not smoking.

Isoflavones, when consumed with soy protein or as part of a soy food, also appear to have a promising role in maintaining bone health, especially if consumed in the early postmenopausal period.

For additional information on soy and bone health, heart health or cancer refer to the other sections of our website that discuss these topics in more detail.