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Daily use of natto reduces the risk of broken bones
Post-menopausal women who consume 40 grams of natto - a food made from fermented soybeans - daily almost halve their risk of breaking a bone. This has everything to do with the presence of vitamin K2-MK7 in natto, researchers suspect.
Study
In 2019, Japanese epidemiologists published a study in the Journal of Nutrition in which 1,417 post-menopausal women participated. They were all 45 years or older.
The researchers followed the women from 1996 to 2012. They had an idea of the women's diet; the women had answered questions about their diet. The researchers kept track of whether the women broke bones.
Results
Women who ate natto 1-6 times a week were 21 percent less likely to fracture a bone than women who ate no or almost no natto. However, this difference was not statistically significant. In Japan, a portion of natto usually consists of 40 grams.
Women who consumed natto daily were 46 percent less likely to fracture a bone than women who did not eat natto - and that difference was statistically significant.
Natto consists of fermented soybeans. Soy is a source of isoflavones with a weak estrogenic effect. Some researchers think isoflavones can keep bones strong. This theory is not implausible, but the Japanese found no evidence for it. In their study, consumption of soy products in general did not protect against bone fractures.
Vitamine K2
The microorganisms that ferment soybeans into natto also produce vitamin K2 - to be more precise, they produce vitamin K2-MK7. The MK7 analogue has an exceptionally good bioavailability. In trials, a relatively small amount has a strong positive effect on bone health.
Conclusion
"The findings from the present study suggest that in Japanese postmenopausal women, habitual natto intake may be associated with a decreased risk of osteoporotic fractures, independent of confounding factors, including bone mass density", write the researchers.
"The beneficial effects of natto on fractures may also be attributed to the maintenance of bone quality."
Source:
J Nutr. 2020 Mar 1;150(3):599-605.
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