Soy and Heart Disease Prevention Abstracts
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AUTHOR: Washburn S; Burke GL; Morgan T; Anthony M
ADDRESS: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Wake Forest
University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
27157, USA.
TITLE: Effect of soy protein supplementation on serum lipoproteins,
blood pressure, and menopausal symptoms in perimenopausal
women
SOURCE: Menopause (C5B), 1999 Spring; 6 (1): 7-13
LANGUAGE: English
COUNTRY PUB.: UNITED STATES
ABSTRACT:
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of soy protein
supplementation with known levels of phytoestrogens on
cardiovascular disease risk factors and menopausal symptoms
in perimenopausal women. METHODS: A randomized, double-blind
crossover trial was conducted in 51 women consuming
isocaloric supplements containing 20 g of complex
carbohydrates (comparison diet), 20 g of soy protein
containing 34 mg of phytoestrogens given in a single dose,
and 20 g of soy protein containing 34 mg of phytoestrogens
split into two doses. Women were randomly assigned to one of
the three diets for 6-week periods and subsequently were
randomized to the remaining two interventions to determine
whether differences existed between the treatment diets for
cardiovascular disease risk factors, menopausal symptoms,
adherence, and potential adverse effects. RESULTS:
Significant declines in total cholesterol (6% lower) and low
density lipoprotein cholesterol (7% lower) were observed in
both soy diets compared with the carbohydrate placebo diet.
A significant decline in diastolic blood pressure (5 mm Hg
lower) was noted in the twice-daily soy diet, compared with
the placebo diet. Although nonsignificant effects were noted
for a number of measures of quality of life, a significant
improvement was observed for the severity of vasomotor
symptoms and for hypoestrogenic symptoms in the twice-daily
group compared with the placebo group. No significant
effects were noted for triglycerides, high density
lipoprotein cholesterol or frequency of menopausal symptoms.
Adherence was excellent in all groups. CONCLUSIONS: Soy
supplementation in the diet of nonhypercholesterolemic,
nonhypertensive, perimenopausal women resulted in
significant improvements in lipid and lipoprotein levels,
blood pressure, and perceived severity of vasomotor
symptoms. These data corroborate the potential importance of
soy supplementation in reducing chronic disease risk in
Western populations.
AUTHOR: Nagata C; Takatsuka N; Kurisu Y; Shimizu H
ADDRESS: Department of Public Health, Gifu University School of
Medicine, Gifu 500, Japan.
TITLE: Decreased serum total cholesterol concentration is
associated with high intake of soy products in Japanese men
and women.
SOURCE: J Nutr (JEV), 1998 Feb; 128 (2): 209-13
LANGUAGE: English
COUNTRY PUB.: UNITED STATES
ABSTRACT:
The relationship between soy product intake and serum total
cholesterol concentration was examined in 1242 men and 3596
women who participated in an annual health check-up program
in Takayama City, Japan, provided by the municipality in
1992. The intake of soy products and various foods and
nutrients was assessed by a semiquantitative food-frequency
questionnaire. Blood samples were collected from fasting
subjects to measure the serum total cholesterol
concentration. A significant trend (P for trend = 0. 0001)
was observed for decreasing total cholesterol concentration
with an increasing intake of soy products in men after
controlling for age, smoking status and intake of total
energy, total protein and total fat. This negative trend (P
for trend = 0.0001) was also noted in women after
controlling for age, menopausal status, body mass index and
intake of total energy and vitamin C. An additional
adjustment for physical activity, coffee and tea
consumption, and intake of cholesterol, carbohydrates, fiber
and vitamin E did not change the results. These data suggest
a role for soy products in human cholesterol homeostasis.
AUTHOR: Nestel PJ; Yamashita T; Sasahara T; Pomeroy S; Dart A;
Komesaroff P; Owen A; Abbey M
ADDRESS: Baker Medical Research Institute, Melbourne, Australia.
TITLE: Soy isoflavones improve systemic arterial compliance but not
plasma lipids in menopausal and perimenopausal women.
SOURCE: Arterioscler Thromb Vasc Biol (B89), 1997 Dec; 17 (12): 3392-8
LANGUAGE: English
COUNTRY PUB.: UNITED STATES
ABSTRACT:
The possibility that the heightened cardiovascular risk
associated with the menopause, which is said to be
ameliorated by soybeans, can be reduced with soy isoflavones
was tested in 21 women. Although several were
perimenopausal, all have been included. A placebo-controlled
crossover trial tested the effects of 80-mg daily
isoflavones (45 mg genistein) over 5- to 10-week periods.
Systemic arterial compliance (arterial elasticity), which
declined with age in this group, improved 26% (P < .001)
compared with placebo. Arterial pressure and plasma lipids
were unaffected. The vasodilatory capacity of the
microcirculation was measured in nine women; high
acetylcholine-mediated dilation in the forearm vasculature
was similar with active and placebo treatments. LDL
oxidizability measured in vitro was unchanged. Thus, one
important measure of arterial health, systemic arterial
compliance, was significantly improved in perimenopausal and
menopausal women taking soy isoflavones to about the same
extent as is achieved with conventional hormone replacement
therapy.
AUTHOR: Wong WW; Smith EO; Stuff JE; Hachey DL; Heird WC; Pownell HJ
ADDRESS: US Department of Agriculture/ARS Children's Nutrition
Research Center, the Department of Pediatrics, Baylor
College of Medicine, Houston 77030, USA.
TITLE: Cholesterol-lowering effect of soy protein in
normocholesterolemic and hypercholesterolemic men.
SOURCE: Am J Clin Nutr (3EY), 1998 Dec; 68 (6 Suppl): 1385S-1389S
LANGUAGE: English
COUNTRY PUB.: UNITED STATES
ABSTRACT:
Cardiovascular heart disease is a major health problem in
the United States. Elevated blood cholesterol has been shown
to significantly increase the risk of cardiovascular heart
disease. The National Cholesterol Educational Program (NCEP)
Step I diet, which restricts fat and cholesterol intakes, is
usually recommended as the initial treatment to lower blood
cholesterol. Soy protein has been shown to be
hypocholesterolemic, particularly in hypercholesterolemic
subjects. However, the hypocholesterolemic effect of soy
protein in subjects with a blood total cholesterol
concentration <5.17 mmol/L is not clear. To determine
whether soy protein could enhance the hypocholesterolemic
effect of the NCEP Step I diet, 13 normocholesterolemic and
13 hypercholesterolemic men aged 20-50 y were enrolled in a
randomized, 2-part, crossover study. Subjects were fed
either an NCEP Step I soy-protein diet or an NCEP Step I
animal protein diet for 5 wk. After a washout period of 10-
15 wk, the subjects were fed the alternate diet for 5 wk.
The hypocholesterolemic effect of soy protein was found to
be independent of age, body weight, pretreatment plasma
lipid concentrations, and sequence of dietary treatment.
Regardless of plasma lipid status, the soy-protein diet was
associated with a statistically significant decrease in the
plasma concentrations of LDL cholesterol (P = 0.029) as well
as the in the ratio of plasma LDL cholesterol to HDL
cholesterol (P = 0.005). Our results indicate that soy
protein enhances the hypocholesterolemic effect of the NCEP
Step I diet in both normocholesterolemic and
hypercholesterolemic men.
AUTHOR: Williams JK; Clarkson TB
ADDRESS: Department of Comparative Medicine, Wake Forest University
School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina 27157-
1040, USA.
TITLE: Dietary soy isoflavones inhibit in-vivo constrictor
responses of coronary arteries to collagen-induced platelet
activation.
SOURCE: Coron Artery Dis (BYW), 1998; 9 (11): 759-64
LANGUAGE: English
COUNTRY PUB.: UNITED STATES
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND: Soy isoflavones (particularly genistein) improve
impaired acetylcholine-induced dilator responses of
atherosclerotic coronary arteries. Genistein reduces
platelet accumulation of serotonin, whose constrictor
properties are augmented by dyslipoproteinemia and
atherosclerosis. Studies were therefore designed to examine
the effects of soy protein (with and without the
isoflavones) on platelet-induced constrictor responses of
coronary arteries of primates. METHODS: Twelve adult female
rhesus monkeys were fed for 6 months an atherogenic diet
identical in composition, except that isoflavones were
either extracted with alcohol [n = 6, Soy(-)] or left intact
(n = 6, Soy(+)]. Vasomotor responses were assessed in vivo
using quantitative coronary angiography and intravascular
Doppler measurements of blood flow velocity. RESULTS: As
shown previously, soy isoflavones improve impaired dilator
responses to acetylcholine. Furthermore, in response to
activation of platelets by intracoronary infusion of
collagen, reductions in blood flow through the left
circumflex coronary artery, but not large artery
constriction, were less in the Soy(+) (10 +/- 5%) than in
the Soy (-) monkeys (35 +/- 6%, P = 0.02). In-vitro platelet
aggregation to thrombin and serotonin were less in the
Soy(+) than in the Soy(-) monkeys (P < 0.05). However, soy
diets did not affect vascular reactivity properties of large
artery or resistance size arteries to adenosine diphosphate
(ADP), nitroglycerin, or serotonin (P > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS:
We conclude that components of the soy protein removed by
alcohol extraction (probably the isoflavones) promoted
endothelium-modulated dilation and inhibited constrictor
responses to collagen infusion by inhibiting platelet
aggregation or platelet release of vasoconstrictors, or
both.
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