Soy Component Linked to Heart Health
A specific estrogen-like compound, daidzein, appears to be responsible
for the healthy effects of soy on cholesterol levels in women, a new study
shows.
Women with high levels of daidzein in their blood had lower levels of
triglycerides, higher levels of HDL-C or "good" cholesterol, and healthier
ratios of total to good cholesterol levels, Dr. C. Noel Bairey Merz of
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles and colleagues found.
The researchers note in The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology &
Metabolism that female monkeys fed a soy-rich diet show healthy changes in
blood fat levels, the researchers note, but evidence of the effects of soy
on cholesterol in humans has been mixed.
To investigate, the team checked blood levels of daidzein and
genistein, another plant estrogen, in a group of 483 women at risk of heart
disease who were participating in the Women's Ischemia Syndrome Evaluation
study. About 80 percent of the women were postmenopausal.
The researchers found no association between genistein and blood fat
levels. But higher blood levels of daidzein were tied to lower triglyceride
levels and higher good cholesterol levels.
The effect of daidzein was strongest for women with low estrogen
levels, who also showed reductions in LDL-C or "bad" cholesterol, as well as
lower total cholesterol levels, suggesting that the soy component may act
like the real hormone in the body to help in restoring healthier blood fat
levels, the researchers suggest.
While the findings must be confirmed by additional research, they
provide evidence that daidzein is responsible for soy's beneficial effects
on blood lipid levels, Merz and colleagues write.
"These and prior studies suggest that cardiovascular risk reduction
strategies in women should consider dietary intake of food products, such as
soy, which elevate blood daidzein levels, consistent with recent
recommendations," they conclude.
SOURCE: Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, June 2006.
Copyright Reuters 2006.
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