Why Your Heart Loves Soy... Really

Recently the American Heart Association issued a scientific position doubting the heart health benefits of soy. Maybe they should have read the May 2007 issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition where Japanese researchers found the opposite to be true.

After doing an intensive review of the science, they concluded that soy isoflavones and protein reduce cholesterol levels. To break it down for you, both soy isoflavones and proteins positively impact LDL-cholesterol (bad) levels while only soy protein has an effect on HDL-cholesterol (good) levels. The last time we checked, cholesterol levels are directly related to heart health.

Based on their scrutiny of 11 randomized controlled trials done between 1990 and 2006, the researchers report that soy isoflavones significantly decreased total cholesterol levels by 1.77 percent and LDL cholesterol by 3.58 percent, but did not have a significant impact on HDL cholesterol and triacylglycerol levels. As for soy protein, when it was enriched with isoflavones, it significantly decreased LDL cholesterol by 4.98 percent and significantly increased HDL cholesterol by 3 percent; however, the effect wasn’t diminished when soy protein acted by itself. In fact, it significantly decreases LDL cholesterol by 2.77%.

What’s the difference between soy’s isoflavones and proteins? The isoflavones are a group of phytochemicals — plant chemicals that have physiologic and pharmacologic effects. On the other hand, soy proteins are complex combinations of amino acids that feed bodily processes. Both can be consumed by eating soybeans or tofu. Something you should consider if you have elevated cholesterol levels — no matter what the American Heart Association’s position on soy is.

Source: Taku, K. et al. "Soy isoflavones lower serum total and LDL cholesterol in humans: a meta-analysis of 11 randomized controlled trials." American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 85(4): 1148-1156, 2007.

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