A combination of soybean and skimmed milk reduces osteoporosis in rats

Abstract

The potential application and nutritional advantages of milky miso (MM) as a functional food were investigated. MM is a mixture of miso, a traditional, fermented soy paste, and skimmed milk. The data suggested that the total and free amino acids were higher in the mixture than in the traditional miso product alone. The newly developed product greatly improved the nutritional profile of animals and supplemented the calcium deficiency in soybean. Bone mass density (BMD) was significantly enhanced in Wistar rats that were given MM orally. Pyridinoline (type-I collagen) was remarkably reduced in the urine of the same rats fed MM compared to rats of groups fed ordinary miso. The results supported our hypothesis that MM is a useful product that can be produced and consumed on a large scale, particularly in Southeast Asia. The results also suggested that MM may be an ideal source of some novel peptides that have marked effect clinical benefits, in particular to increase BMD in young rats and potentially to children in humans.

Keywords

• Miso
• Soy beans
• Skim milk
• Nutrition
• Calcium
• Bone mass density