Soy protein may reduce heart disease risk

In 1995 Dr. James Anderson and colleagues ¹ from the University of Kentucky, USA, published a meta-analysis in the New England Journal of Medicine examining in detail the relationship between soy protein and blood cholesterol levels. The analysis included 38 controlled clinical trials involving some 730 subjects consuming soy protein.

The results below highlight the exciting heart health benefits that soy protein can offer and may explain, at least in part, the lower incidence of heart disease in Asian countries consuming high quantities of soy protein in the diet.

• 9.3 % decrease in total cholesterol
• 12.9% decrease in LDL ('bad') cholesterol
• 2.4% increase in HDL ('good') cholesterol*
• 10.5% decrease in triglycerides

Importantly, the degree of decrease in the blood cholesterol level was proportional to the initial reading such that the higher the initial cholesterol level, the greater the reduction in total cholesterol and the dangerous LDL cholesterol.

Since the Anderson study was published, positive data on soy protein and risk reduction for cardiovascular disease (CVD) has continued to accumulate. Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, USA ² found that regardless of the initial level of blood cholesterol, soy protein (as part of a low fat diet) reduced 'bad' LDL cholesterol - even in those with levels close to the normal range.