Soy Nut Consumption Reduces Markers Of Inflammation

[Guest guest]

Eating soy nuts instead of red meat decreases some markers of

inflammation and improves endothelial function in postmenopausal

women with a collection of cardiometabolic risk factors, a new study

by researchers at Isfahan University of Medical Sciences in Iran and

the Harvard School of Public Health found. In previous studies by the

same group, subjects who ate soy nuts also showed improvements in

their lipid profiles, suggesting that soy may improve cardiac health

among a subgroup of women.

 

Previous research has looked at the effect of soy on inflammatory

markers and endothelial function in the general population, but this

was the first study to look more narrowly at how eating soy nuts

(versus soy protein) would specifically affect postmenopausal women

who already had a number of metabolic abnormalities. Consuming soy

protein did not produce the same benefits, the researchers found.

 

Women (and men) who have certain cardiometabolic risk factors

(abdominal obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and insulin

resistance) are at high risk for type 2 diabetes and for heart

disease, the number one killer of people with diabetes. Studies have

shown that lifestyle changes, such as losing moderate amounts of

weight and increasing physical activity, can substantially reduce the

chances of developing diabetes for people who already have these risk

factors.

 

" A well-balanced meal plan should be part of any program designed to

lose weight or improve overall health. This study shows that adding

soy nuts to your diet - and eating less red meat - could be an

important part of that meal plan, " said lead researcher Dr. Leila

Azadbakht, at the Isfahan University of Medical Sciences Department

of Nutrition in Iran.

 

Soy is also often used as an alternative or adjunct to hormone

replacement therapy in postmenopausal women. The researchers note

that the mechanisms by which soy affects the inflammatory state may

be related to the effects of soy phytoestrogens, which mimic hormone

replacement therapy. However, more research needs to be done to

understand the mechanisms through which soy affects inflammation and

endothelial function. It is also unclear whether other groups of

postmenopausal women would benefit as much as those participating in

this study who had a number of high risk factors for diabetes and

heart disease.

 

Diabetes Care, published by the American Diabetes Association, is the

leading peer-reviewed journal of clinical research into the nation's

fifth leading cause of death by disease. Diabetes also is a leading

cause of heart disease and stroke, as well as the leading cause of

adult blindness, kidney failure, and non-traumatic amputations. For

more information about diabetes, visit the American Diabetes

Association Web site http://www.diabetes.org or call 1-800-DIABETES

(1-800-342-2383).

 

American Diabetes Association