Objective: To clarify the effects of isoflavone intake on bone resorption and bone formation. Methods: We identified randomized controlled trials related to urinary deoxypyridinoline (Dpyr, a bone resorption marker) and serum bone-specific alkaline phosphatase (BAP, a bone formation marker) listed on MEDLINE (January 1966-April 2006, the Cochrane Controlled Trials Register, EMBASE (1985( -January 2006, Science Citation Index and PUBMED (updated till April 2006). Results: Nine studies with a total of 432 subjects were selected for meta-analysis. The urinary Dpyr concentration in subjects who consumed isoflavones decreased significantly by À2.08 nmol/mmol (95% confidence interval (CI): À3.82 to À0.34 nmol/ mmol) in comparison with that in subjects who did not consume isoflavones. Isoflavone intake vs placebo intake significantly increased serum BAP by 1.48 mg/l (95% CI: 0.22-2.75 mg/l). Decreases in the urinary Dpyr concentration with isoflavone intake of o90 mg/day and with treatment lasting less than 12 weeks were À2.34 nmol/mmol (95% CI: À4.46 to À0.22 nmol/mmol) and À2.03 nmol/mmol (95% CI: À3.20 to À0.85 nmol/mmol), respectively. Conclusions: Isoflavone intervention significantly inhibits bone resorption and stimulates bone formation. These favorable effects occur even if o90 mg/day of isoflavones are consumed or the intervention lasts less than 12 weeks.

Ovarian cancer is the fifth most common cause of cancer death among women and the leading cause of gynaecological cancer death in the United States. Milk/dairy products consumption was considered to be a risk factor for ovarian cancer mainly because milk carbohydrate-lactose and galactose metabolism is toxic to oocytes. However, recent evidence does not support this hypothesis completely. We collected epidemiological studies related to the association between milk/dairy products consumption or galactose metabolism (lactose, galactose, galactose-1-phosphate uridyltransferase, lactose/transferase) and ovarian cancer published between January 1966 and August 2003 and found 27 items from 22 independent studies. Twenty studies were case-control studies and the other two were cohort studies. A meta-analysis method was conducted to estimate relative risk combining all relative data. In general, we did not find any association between milk/dairy products or galactose metabolism and ovarian cancer risk in this meta-analysis. The consumption of whole milk and butter, which contain relatively high amounts of fat, was positively (relative risk > 1.2), but not significantly, associated with an increased risk.