DIET RICH IN SOY LOWERS LDL CHOLESTEROL

Consuming a diet rich in soy foods may help lower low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol in individuals whose bodies are able to convert it to an estrogen-like compound called equol, according to a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. The findings also suggest individuals considered equol producers had the added cardiovascular benefit of maintaining higher high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol concentrations than those seen in equol nonproducers.

Researchers at the University of Toronto in Canada conducted a study to examine whether equol status determines the effectiveness of soy foods to lower LDL cholesterol and to raise HDL cholesterol. For the study, 85 hypercholesterolemic men and postmenopausal women participated in one of three studies that represented a range of soy interventions and followed the same general protocol at a Canadian university hospital research center.

Soy foods were provided for one month at doses of 30 to 52 grams per day for the three studies as follows: 1) soy foods with either high-normal (73 mg/d) or low (10 mg/d) isoflavones, 2) soy foods with or without a prebiotic to enhance colonic fermentation (10 g polyfructans/d), or 3) soy foods with a low-carbohydrate diet (26% carbohydrate). Studies 1 and 2 were randomized controlled crossover trials, and study 3 was a parallel study.

At the end of the study, 33 equol producers' HDL stayed about the same, while the non-equol producers' dropped from about 48 mg/dL to about 46 mg/dL.The equol producers' LDL fell from about 169 mg/dL to about 152 mg/dL. The non-equol producers' fell from about 174 mg/dL to about 153 mg/dL.