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February 10, 2012
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Nutrition Article
RESEARCH INTO SOY WILL CONTINUE BUT SOY IS NOT A SOLUTION FOR HEART DISEASE
In NUTRITION, baby boomers receive healthy eating tips from health reporters and dietitians, many of whom are boomers, too. Teresa Ulrich Registered Dietitian |
(50PlusPrime) OAK PARK, MICHIGAN --
Many soy food products carry health claims stating that they reduce the risk of heart disease. A review of the evidence, however, suggests that soy’s cardiovascular benefits may have been overestimated by the early studies that formed the basis for its health claim.“Soy products such as fresh or frozen soybeans (edamame), tofu, soy butter, soy nuts, and some soy burgers should be beneficial to heart health when they displace foods such as hamburgers, cheese and other sources of saturated fat from the diet,” says Lichtenstein. “Heart disease is a major problem — using soy protein instead of animal protein is still a win.” Lichtenstein is the director of the Cardiovascular Nutrition Laboratory at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts.ion Research Center on Aging at Tufts.
“The efficacy and safety of soy isoflavones for preventing or treating cancer of the breast, endometrium, and prostate are not established; evidence from clinical trials is meager and cautionary with regard to a possible adverse effect. For this reason, use of isoflavone supplements in food or pills is not recommended,” the authors say.
For more information about soy, please visit http://nutrition.tufts.edu/news/notes/2006-01.html
