Want to reduce your risk of heart disease? Getting most of your protein from soy may be more effective, according to new research from the Wake Forest School of Medicine.
Researchers previously knew that women who regularly consumed protein from soy products–something common among Asian-born women–were the least likely to develop heart disease. However, those who switched to an animal-based diet later in life began developing heart disease more rapidly, leading researchers to hold a study investigating how different proteins specifically affected a woman’s heart disease risk.
As it turned out, it wasn’t just a hunch–eating more soy protein meant less plaque in a woman’s arteries.
“This study underscores how important it is for women to get into the best cardiovascular shape they can before menopause,” says Margery Gass, M.D., Executive Director of the North American Menopause Society. “The healthy habits they start then will carry them through the years to come.”
The results will be published in the March 2015 issue of Menopause.
The Study
Knowing that Asian women who ate a soy-based diet were the least likely to develop heart disease, researchers wanted to know if this was more than a coincidence. To find out, they decided to experiment on cynomolgus monkeys–animals similar, but not identical, to humans.
To start, they fed premenopausal monkeys a diet high in either soybeans or animal protein products, observing how it affected their bodies. Afterward, their ovaries were removed to simulate menopause. Here, the monkeys were fed one of four diets: A soy diet, an animal diet, a diet switched from a soy diet to an animal-based diet, or an animal-based diet switched to a soy diet.
The monkeys continued to eat this diet for 34 months–and researchers observed what changes occurred in their bodies.
As it turned out, eating a soy diet saved them from developing signs associated with heart disease.
“If started before menopause, we found that soy significantly prevents atherosclerosis, one of the leading causes of cardiovascular disease,” says Giselle Melendez, M.D., lead author of the study and a cardiology instructor at Wake Forest Baptist. “Soy-rich diets contain isoflavones, estrogen-like compounds that have been postulated to be cardioprotective. Their molecular structure resembles that of estrogen and may act through the same receptors in the body.”
From their findings, researchers found that those who ate a lifelong soy diet had the lowest levels of bad cholesterol and the lowest amounts of complicated plaque in their arteries. Similar results occurred for those who switched to a soy diet after menopause as well. However, those who continued to eat an animal-based diet had elevated bad cholesterol levels, as well as a higher build-up of complicated plaques–two factors that elevated their risk of heart disease.
Obviously, the answer is clear: Eating soy reduces your risk of heart disease.
“The key here is beginning soy supplementation (about 25 g per day) before menopause and substitute the consumption of proteins derived from animal sources with soy-rich products,” says Melendez.
What You Should Do
If you’re a woman at risk of heart disease, it’s never too late to improve your diet, according to this study. To keep your risk to a minimum, switch out animal proteins for soy-based proteins instead, such as soybeans, tofu, or soy-based protein replacement products. Doing so also cuts down on the amount of saturated fat you consume–something which too can lower your risk of heart disease.
Readers: How much soy do you eat?
Sources:
Study: Soy Protein May Help Reduce Risk of Heart Disease in Women – EurekAlert.org
Soy Protein More Effective Than Animal Protein in Preventing Heart Disease – Science20.com
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