THE FOURTH SOY SYMPOSIUM: ATHEROSCLEROSIS

DR. BARNES: Another very important study that's emerging from Dr. Clarkson's group concerns atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis is the hardening of the arteries. It's due to the laying down of cholesterol deposits and the proliferation of cells within the artery.

The advantage of using monkeys is that the amount of atherosclerosis could be detected in the carotid arteries of the monkeys on different types of diets.

The monkeys were placed on bad diets in terms of lipid and cholesterol content, and they had either casein, extracted soy protein, or unextracted soy protein as the protein content in the diet. The extent of the surface of the carotoid arteries having these atherosclerotic lesions is about 30 percent in the animals on the casein diet. In contrast, those on the soy plus diet have a value of less than 5 percent. This is very, very interesting news.

There's also a study that Dr. Clarkson has done, which wasn't reported at the meeting, this concerning the injuries that occur when people have balloon angioplasties.

An example of somebody famous who had a balloon angioplasty recently was Tommy Lasorda, who had atherosclerosis in one of his arteries. In this procedure the idea is to stretch the artery to open it up, so that the blood flows through more readily. However, the cells which have been stretched tend to start growing again, and the artery can become blocked again. So, three months later Tommy was back in the hospital for a second balloon angioplasty.

In the monkey, there is no re-growth on a soy diet. Soy prevents that re-growth. That's a very, very intriguing finding and one that we want to try and reproduce in humans, perhaps even Tommy Lasorda.

In summary, I think it's fairly clear that soy does lower the levels of cholesterol in both men and women. This is very well documented. The monkey studies only go to show that we can extend this use of soy a lot further.

What in soy is responsible for the effect, is still debatable. At the symposium, strong views were expressed as to whether the isoflavones were doing this or whether it was some part of the protein. A lot of dispute remains on this issue.

I know that some people are thinking about going for a health claim for soy in this area. I warn them to be very careful, and get their cases thoroughly documented because the FDA is not such a friendly audience as this one might be. It's important we make sure we have data before making these health claims. If it needs investigation, then further research investment is needed.

Source: TalkSoy.com
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Marlon Wade
Staff Writer
info@cafesoy.com

Soy and your healthy heart

As part of national Heart-Health Month, the fact sheet by Dr. Mark Messina about soy and heart health illustrates the relationship of soyfoods to having a healthy heart. Dr. Messina touches upon the areas of coronary heart disease, cholesterol levels including effects on serum lipids, HDLC and triglycerides, blood pressure, and essential fatty acids.

By the way, as you already know, Frankenfoods will not provide these benefits but they will promote the various chronic diseases that the use of soyfoods are intended to prevent. Prevention is always better than a cure and you don't need a medical degree to know that.

Eat well and be well!
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Marlon Wade
Editor
Café Soy, LLC
info@cafesoy.com
http://www.cafesoy.com
"We make good taste a healthy habit."

February is Heart Health Month

You might want to know the basis for a lot of what we say about soy on this blog so here it is as follows:

Soy protein provides numerous health benefits. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) officially recognized the cholesterol-lowering effects of soy protein in 1999, and the American Heart Association followed suit one year later. The FDA-approved health claim states that 25 grams of soy protein per day may reduce the risk of heart disease.

Recent research suggests that soy may lower risk of prostate, colon and breast cancers as well as osteoporosis and other bone health concerns, and emerging research also indicates that soy protein may reduce high blood pressure and some symptoms of menopause. Additionally, two studies presented at a symposium on soy and breast cancer at the American Dietetic Association's annual meeting in October 2002 point to the teenage years as an especially important time to consume soy in order to ward off breast cancer.

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Marlon Wade
Editor
Café Soy, LLC
info@cafesoy.com
http://www.cafesoy.com
"We make good taste a healthy habit."

Soy health benefits

Soybeans and soyfoods are healthy. While soybeans are part of a smart diet because they're high in protein, new research points to other significant benefits from soy - most importantly, its apparent role in reducing the risk of certain chronic diseases.

Soy and Heart Disease

Soy in a Risk-Reducing Diet

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in United States, killing more than 100 people every hour. But soyfoods may help reduce the risk of heart disease. Soyfoods are not only low in saturated fat and free of cholesterol, but contain proteins which have been shown to directly lower blood cholesterol, potentially reducing the risk of heart disease.In addition, only soyfoods are rich in a group of phytochemical compounds called isoflavones which may work to reduce the risk of heart disease. Isoflavones are found in significant amounts only in soybeans and soyfoods, such as tofu, soymilk, tempeh and textured soy protein.

Soy and Cholesterol Reduction

High blood cholesterol levels are a primary contributor to heart disease. Approximately 40 million Americans have blood cholesterol levels that are too high. But many studies have shown that among such people, soy protein can reduce high blood cholesterol levels by 10 to 15% – enough to cut the chances of a heart attack by up to 30%.As little as 25 grams of soy protein per day may be enough to lower cholesterol levels, and greater amounts – 25 to 50 grams per day – are likely to lead to greater cholesterol decreases. This amount of soy protein can be found in one cup of cooked soybeans, one cup of tempeh or one cup of roasted soy nuts.

Inhibiting Cholesterol Oxidation

Soy protein inhibits cholesterol oxidation. Oxidized cholesterol is cholesterol that has undergone structural changes because of exposure to oxygen. Only oxidized cholesterol can damage arteries. In test tubes, a compound in soybeans called genistein has been found to inhibit the growth of cells that form artery-clogging plaque.

For more information on heart disease, click here to go to the American Heart Association Internet site.

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Marlon Wade

Editor

Café Soy, LLC

info@cafesoy.com

http://www.cafesoy.com

"We make good taste a healthy habit."

Bet you don't forget what you see

We recognize that all people will be as passionate about edenic foods as we advocate but everyone can appreciate this brief video on Dr. Mercola's website. It's an animated short about the medical establishment and its thinking. The film has led to quite a bit of controversy because it it exposes a reality that was meant to remain hidden. View it here.

Eat well and be well!

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Marlon Wade
Editor
Café Soy, LLC
info@cafesoy.com
http://www.cafesoy.com
"We make good taste a healthy habit."