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Posted on Oct 10, 2002, 5 a.m.
By Bill Freeman
Soy has been shown to have numerous health benefits, including reducing the risk of heart disease and possibly even protecting women from breast cancer. Scientists at the University of Toronto in Ontario, Canada, compared the urine samples of two groups of people, one who ate a soy diet and one who did not.
Soy has been shown to have numerous health benefits, including reducing the risk of heart disease and possibly even protecting women from breast cancer. Scientists at the University of Toronto in Ontario, Canada, compared the urine samples of two groups of people, one who ate a soy diet and one who did not. High estrogen levels have been linked to breast cancer risk so researchers looked for a particular protein in the urine that would indicate how much estrogen was present in the body. For female participants eating the soy diet, their estrogen levels were slightly lower than before they started the study. "This finding suggests that soy may not have the estrogenic effects that were thought to alleviate menopausal symptoms, but it refutes claims about its purported hormone risks," says lead researcher David Jenkins. Previous studies have indicated the estrogen-like effects of soy may help with menopausal symptoms such as hot flashes, but other studies have suggested soy offers no such benefit. The study also reiterated soy's benefit to the heart. Researchers found that those on the soy diet showed reduced levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) (bad) cholesterol that clogs up arteries and can lead to heart disease.
SOURCE/REFERENCE: Metabolism, April 2000
