[Prevention of osteoporosis by foods and dietary supplements. "Daizuga-cha", Kuromame-cha"].

Soy isoflavones have been suggested to alleviate osteoporosis by inhibiting bone resorption. Our finding indicates that consumption of the drink "Daizuga-cha", which contains isoflavones reduced urinary excretion of pyridinoline (p = 0.09) and deoxypyridinoline (p<0.05) in Japanese women (average age: 55.6 years). "Daizuga-cha" is the first drink approved by the Japanese ministry of health, labor and welfare as a "food for specified health uses (FOSHU)" for bone health. Recent clinical data suggest that approximately 30-70 mg/day of isoflavones (as aglycone) are required by younger postmenopausal women in order to derive skeletal benefits. However, isoflavone intake among such women in Japan is often lower than this level. Consumption of soy foods and soy isoflavone FOSHU ("Daizuga-cha", "Kuromame-cha", "Kuromame-soymilk drink", and "Kuromame-cha Gold") has the potential to reduce the risk of postmenopausal osteoporosis.