Soy and Cardiovascular Health
Some Facts
• In the United States, we tend to think of heart diseases as a "men's disease."
• In reality, while a man's risk of heart disease increases after age 45, women of that age who have heart attacks are twice as likely as men to die from it.
• In fact, heart disease is the number one killer of women in the United States.
• More than 50% of deaths after age 50 in women are due to some form of cardiovascular disease.
• Many more women die each year from heart disease than from any other form of cancer including breast cancer.
• Fortunately, many of this death are preventable. While some risk factors (genetic factor, ethnic factor) cannot be changed, others can be controlled or modified to create a more heart-healthy life style (i.e., quit smoking, regular exercise, control of high blood pressure, cholesterol and triglyceride, weight control, and reduction of stress).
• Most deaths from heart disease are caused by the build-up of substances (plaque) in the lining of coronary blood vessels (blood vessels in the heart). When the artery is completely blocked, a heart attack occurs.
• There are ways that we can help our cardiovascular system in postmenopausal years.
• In addition to altering life style, there is evidence that supports the use of prescription estrogen may reduce the risk of heart disease by as much as 50% (ref). Although, the true level of benefits may not be known until several major on-going research studies are completed.
• Estrogen provide these benefits by lowering LDL (bad cholesterol), by raising HDL (good cholesterol), and by reducing the rate of growth of fatty deposits in blood vessels. It also helps to keep blood vessels open.
• Soy contains isoflavones, a phytoestrogen with enormous health-related possibilities for women approaching menopause.
• For the past 60 years, scientists have known that soy would prevent arteriosclerosis and that it lowers cholesterol while being known as a health food. Now, interest in the health benefits of soy has accelerated because of recent research of soy's value as a functional food that actually can improve our health. Based on epidemiological data, researchers have suggested that as little as one serving of soy products per day can protect against diseases such as cardiovascular disease.
• Research continues to point to the positive role that soy protein can play in controlling blood cholesterol. High cholesterol is one of the major contributors to coronary heart disease. Yet for all the mounting evidence, soy still remains a very small part of the diet for the majority of people in the Western world. Ironically, that is the population which needs it the most because coronary heart disease is a leading killer.
• Researchers at the University of Illinois in Champaign and Wake Forest University in North Carolina have shown that ingestion of soy protein significantly reduces both total and LDL cholesterol levels. At the same time, levels of beneficial HDL cholesterol increased.
• Postmenopausal women are at a greater risk for elevated cholesterol because, as estrogen production decreases, cholesterol level tends to increase. It is thought that the isoflavones in soy protein mimic the effect of estrogen, thus counter balancing the loss of estrogen in postmenopausal women.
• Recent studies found that the higher the dose of soy protein, the greater the cholesterol lowering effect. The doses given in these studies ranged from 20 to 40 grams of protein per day. A greater lowering effect was observed with subjects with the higher initial cholesterol levels.
• Without direct intervention to reduce coronary risk factors, an estimated three million Americans between age 35 and 64 will develop coronary heart disease by 2005.
• Aside from the clear implication that the isoflavones found in soy protein can lower cholesterol, there is an interesting footnote to consider when only dietary cholesterol is reduced. That is, subjects had high cholesterol despite following a low-fat, heart-healthy diet. The recommended next step to a heart-healthy diet is to reduce total dietary fat further. One draw back of a very low-fat diet is that it reduces "bad" cholesterol and also lowers HDL cholesterol -- the "good" cholesterol that can help unclog arteries. Soy protein containing isoflavones reduces the LDL level as much as a low-fat diet does without raising triglyceride or lowering HDL.
• Studies seem to suggest that soy could play a major supporting role in getting low-fat dieters over the cholesterol "hump".
• In the same way that "cholesterol" became part of the food vernacular in the 1980s, isoflavones are gaining more widespread recognition.
• Soy's role in American foods is changing steadily, partly due to increased recognition of its healthful qualities and partly because of its versatility and functionality in food formulation.
• "25 grams of soy protein a day, as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol, may reduce the risk of heart disease."
Important Note From DrSoy: This website is meant to educate and help you eat well to achieve optimum health. The information in this website should not be used as an alternative to appropriate medical care.
• Each DrSoy Protein bars offers up to 12 grams of soy protein
• In the United States, we tend to think of heart diseases as a "men's disease."
• In reality, while a man's risk of heart disease increases after age 45, women of that age who have heart attacks are twice as likely as men to die from it.
• In fact, heart disease is the number one killer of women in the United States.
• More than 50% of deaths after age 50 in women are due to some form of cardiovascular disease.
• Many more women die each year from heart disease than from any other form of cancer including breast cancer.
• Fortunately, many of this death are preventable. While some risk factors (genetic factor, ethnic factor) cannot be changed, others can be controlled or modified to create a more heart-healthy life style (i.e., quit smoking, regular exercise, control of high blood pressure, cholesterol and triglyceride, weight control, and reduction of stress).
• Most deaths from heart disease are caused by the build-up of substances (plaque) in the lining of coronary blood vessels (blood vessels in the heart). When the artery is completely blocked, a heart attack occurs.
• There are ways that we can help our cardiovascular system in postmenopausal years.
• In addition to altering life style, there is evidence that supports the use of prescription estrogen may reduce the risk of heart disease by as much as 50% (ref). Although, the true level of benefits may not be known until several major on-going research studies are completed.
• Estrogen provide these benefits by lowering LDL (bad cholesterol), by raising HDL (good cholesterol), and by reducing the rate of growth of fatty deposits in blood vessels. It also helps to keep blood vessels open.
• Soy contains isoflavones, a phytoestrogen with enormous health-related possibilities for women approaching menopause.
• For the past 60 years, scientists have known that soy would prevent arteriosclerosis and that it lowers cholesterol while being known as a health food. Now, interest in the health benefits of soy has accelerated because of recent research of soy's value as a functional food that actually can improve our health. Based on epidemiological data, researchers have suggested that as little as one serving of soy products per day can protect against diseases such as cardiovascular disease.
• Research continues to point to the positive role that soy protein can play in controlling blood cholesterol. High cholesterol is one of the major contributors to coronary heart disease. Yet for all the mounting evidence, soy still remains a very small part of the diet for the majority of people in the Western world. Ironically, that is the population which needs it the most because coronary heart disease is a leading killer.
• Researchers at the University of Illinois in Champaign and Wake Forest University in North Carolina have shown that ingestion of soy protein significantly reduces both total and LDL cholesterol levels. At the same time, levels of beneficial HDL cholesterol increased.
• Postmenopausal women are at a greater risk for elevated cholesterol because, as estrogen production decreases, cholesterol level tends to increase. It is thought that the isoflavones in soy protein mimic the effect of estrogen, thus counter balancing the loss of estrogen in postmenopausal women.
• Recent studies found that the higher the dose of soy protein, the greater the cholesterol lowering effect. The doses given in these studies ranged from 20 to 40 grams of protein per day. A greater lowering effect was observed with subjects with the higher initial cholesterol levels.
• Without direct intervention to reduce coronary risk factors, an estimated three million Americans between age 35 and 64 will develop coronary heart disease by 2005.
• Aside from the clear implication that the isoflavones found in soy protein can lower cholesterol, there is an interesting footnote to consider when only dietary cholesterol is reduced. That is, subjects had high cholesterol despite following a low-fat, heart-healthy diet. The recommended next step to a heart-healthy diet is to reduce total dietary fat further. One draw back of a very low-fat diet is that it reduces "bad" cholesterol and also lowers HDL cholesterol -- the "good" cholesterol that can help unclog arteries. Soy protein containing isoflavones reduces the LDL level as much as a low-fat diet does without raising triglyceride or lowering HDL.
• Studies seem to suggest that soy could play a major supporting role in getting low-fat dieters over the cholesterol "hump".
• In the same way that "cholesterol" became part of the food vernacular in the 1980s, isoflavones are gaining more widespread recognition.
• Soy's role in American foods is changing steadily, partly due to increased recognition of its healthful qualities and partly because of its versatility and functionality in food formulation.
• "25 grams of soy protein a day, as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol, may reduce the risk of heart disease."
Important Note From DrSoy: This website is meant to educate and help you eat well to achieve optimum health. The information in this website should not be used as an alternative to appropriate medical care.
• Each DrSoy Protein bars offers up to 12 grams of soy protein
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