Abstract
Postmenopausal osteoporosis is the most common form of osteoporosis and one of the major public health problems in developed countries. The prevalence of this condition, associated with the physiological stage of menopause, is continuously increasing. This study evaluated the effectiveness of soy isoflavones as compared to hormone replacement therapy (HRT) in low doses, on the prevention of postmenopausal osteoporosis, by determining bone mineral density (BMD) and urinary deoxypyridinoline (D-pyr) in physiological postmenopausal women. The study was conducted over a period of 12 months, on three parallel groups, which included a total of 325 postmenopausal women (HRT group: n = 95; phytoestrogens group: n = 124; control group: n = 106). At the one-year evaluation, we observed T-score normalization in a small number of cases (5.26%, 2.42% and 0.00%, respectively). The average values of D-Pyr decreased by 11.38% in the group treated with phytoestrogens (p < 0.05) and by 15.32% in the group that followed HRT (p < 0.05); it increased by 4.38% in the control group (p > 0.05). Both therapies have beneficial effects on bone metabolism, leading to a significant decrease in the evolution of bone resorption and there are no major differences between the efficacy of HRT and phytoestrogens in terms of the effects on BMD and bone resorption.
Highlights
Osteoporosis is a disease characterized by low bone mass and deteriorated micro-architecture of the bone tissue, leading to increased bone fragility and an increased risk of fracture [1]
Risk factors for osteoporosis were identified in 49.49% of the patients comprised in the group treated by phytotherapy, 46.32% of those with hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and 48.11% in the control group
Regardless of the group, the prevalence of osteopenia is significantly higher in patients with risk factors for osteoporosis than in those without risk factors (44.26% vs. 17.46%, p < 0.001 in the phytoestrogens group, 45.45% vs. 19.61%, p < 0.001 in the THS group and 49.02% vs. 18.18%, p < 0.001 in the control group)
Summary
Osteoporosis is a disease characterized by low bone mass and deteriorated micro-architecture of the bone tissue, leading to increased bone fragility and an increased risk of fracture [1]. This is a phenomenon especially connected with age and occurs frequently in postmenopausal women and elderly men [2]. Osteoporosis occurring after menopause interests the trabecular bone and is maximal after 10 years of installation. Women lose about 50% of the trabecular bone and about 30% of the cortical bone; about half is lost during the first 10 years after menopause [1]
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