Soy Protein Lowers Cholesterol, Can Help Modify Risk of Heart Disease, Research Shows
PRNewswire, St. Louis, Aug. 27, 1998

Soy protein, when substituted for animal protein in the diet, lowers blood cholesterol, and can be a "viable alternative" for persons who want to modify their risk of coronary heart disease without taking medication, a new review of soy's effects on heart disease indicates.

Dr. Susan M. Potter, of the Department of Nutritional Sciences at Protein Technologies International in St. Louis, conducted the review and published a special article on her findings in the August issue of the publication Nutrition Reviews.

She found that recent research also provides evidence that soy protein and isoflavones, the naturally occurring nutrients in soybeans, can improve functioning of blood vessels and help prevent formation of blood clots.

Dr. Potter's review focused on the effects of soy protein research that, among other findings, has demonstrated that soy can reduce low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, while high-density lipo protein (HDL) cholesterol either remains unchanged or is increased. LDL is so-called "bad cholesterol," and HDL is known as "good cholesterol."

Studying what component of soy protein is responsible for fighting fat in blood, she wrote that one isoflavone, genistein, can enhance vascular activity and also can inhibit blood vessel damage as well as formation of blood clots, or thrombus. "These inhibitory effects may be either independent effects of genistein, perhaps acting as an estrogen, or responses related to suppression or inflammation," Dr. Potter wrote.

Source: Foods for the Future, 202-223-3532