| Eat Soy for the Right Reasons |
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| Written by John Hopkins University | |
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In 1999 the FDA allowed food manufacturers to claim that soy products might lower the risk of coronary heart disease. The American Heart Association (AHA) added its endorsement the following year. These favorable positions on soy foods were based on evidence that they lowered cholesterol levels. But the AHA has just retracted its earlier endorsement. In a new scientific statement released in January 2006, the organization concluded that foods and supplements containing soy protein do not lower cholesterol significantly. This statement by an AHA committee was based on its review of 22 published randomized clinical trials. The trials showed that even consuming half of one’s daily protein as soy protein would lower cholesterol by only about 3 percent. The soy products did not raise HDL cholesterol, nor did they lower triglycerides or blood pressure. The committee also reviewed 19 studies on isoflavones, estrogen-like components of soy and other plant foods. It concluded that isoflavones do not lower cholesterol or improve other blood lipid components. As a result, the AHA does not recommend the use of isoflavones in foods or pills. Another finding of the committee was that neither soy products nor isoflavones provided other benefits claimed for these foods, such as relief of menopausal symptoms or prevention of breast, uterine, or prostate cancer. This back-tracking statement by the AHA is another example of why it’s so hard for me as a physician, and for you as a health-oriented consumer, to decide what advice to give or to follow regarding the benefits of various foods and diets. The AHA continues to recommend soy products, which are rich in polyunsaturated fats and low in saturated fats, as a replacement for foods that are high in saturated fats and cholesterol. All too often, strong recommendations made yesterday are revised or retracted by new ones made today, based on better studies or re-evaluation of older ones. © 2007 Johns Hopkins University. All Rights Reserved. This article from Johns Hopkins University is provided as a service by Yahoo. All materials are produced independently by Johns Hopkins University, which is solely responsible for its content.             |
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