Toronto, Ontario, Canada—Soy protein can lower cholesterol, according to researchers at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto.
A press releaseon the study notes that FDA is planning to remove soy from its list of heart-healthy foods. Researchers at St. Michael’s performed a meta-analysis of 43 existing trials that evaluated soy, and are now questioning FDA’s move, because they found that soy protein reduced LDL cholesterol by three to four percent in adults—a small but significant amount.
Dr. David Jenkins, lead author of the study and director of the Clinical Nutrition and Risk Factor Modification Centre, said in the release: “When one adds the displacement of high saturated fat and cholesterol-rich meats to a diet that includes soy, the reduction of cholesterol could be greater. The existing data and our analysis of it suggest soy protein contributes to heart health.”
Dr. Jenkins and his team, the release says, hope that FDA takes this analysis into account as it evaluates the heart-healthy benefits of soy protein.
