Soy Wars: The Battle Against High Cholesterol

We think of soy foods as leading the charge against cholesterol—especially since the Food and Drug Administration approved a health claim that eating high levels of soy protein (47 g/day) reduces LDL cholesterol by 12.9 percent. However, a recent study demotes soy from a five-star general to a foot soldier in fighting cholesterol. The study tested whether adding soy protein to a low-fat, high-fiber diet would improve cholesterol levels in 14 men and 18 postmenopausal women.

Round one goes to the low-fat, high-fiber diet, which first knocked down cholesterol levels of men and postmenopausal women not on hormone replacement therapy (HRT). Adding soy (25 grams per day—standardized to 90 mg of isoflavones) to the diets had no additional cholesterol-lowering effects.

In round two, soy still didn’t win, although it may have contributed to the following victory: Women taking HRT medications showed improved triglyceride levels after eating a low-fat, soy-supplemented diet. (Note: Like high LDL cholesterol levels, elevated triglycerides indicate a risk for cardiovascular disease.)

Though soy may not be the cholesterol warrior we once thought, including whole soy foods within a low-fat, high-fiber diet is still a good option for people with high cholesterol—if only because soy protein replaces meat and cheese, which are high in saturated fat.

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