Soy in the News
Soy Shown To Be Powerful Ally In War On Disease
Soybeans May Help Iron-Deficient Women After All
Fish Oil, Soy May Cut Risk Of Death: Study
Soy, Vitamin E Alternatives for Hormone Treatment
Soy Nuts Shown To Battle High Blood Pressure
Stars Are Crazy For Soy Creations
January 2003 American Journal Of Clinical Nutrition - Ferritin In Soybeans May Be A Good Iron Source For Women
Soy Is Among 'Most Promising' Remedies For Women Suffering From Menopausal Discomfort, Report Says
Dr. Susan Lark, Women's Health Expert, Designs New Weight Loss Program For Women Over 40
Study Reveals Soy May Improve Health By Lowering Overall Body Mass Index
Soy Booms As Alternative To Hormone Therapy For Women; Sales To Reach $3.5 Billion This Year Index
Exercise Firms Fat, Cuts Heart Risk In Older Women
Brain Booster
Soy Lowers Blood Pressure In Female Test; Women Patients Improved By Diet Of Soy Nuts.
Men Also Benefit From Soy
Eight In Ten Registered Dietitians Interested In Soy Protein Products For Their Children
No Quality-of-life Benefit Seen for Hormone Therapy
'Soy to the Rescue,' Prevention Magazine Says; Helps Prevent Hot Flashes, Has Extra Benefits
Study Suggests Western Diet Tied To Prostate Cancer
HRT May Increase Risk Of Dementia In Postmenopausal Women
Women, Doctors Face Dilemma Over HRT Use
Soy, Fish Oil May Protect Against Alzheimer's-Study
SOY SHOWN TO BE POWERFUL ALLY IN WAR ON DISEASE
Emerging research adds to the growing body of evidence demonstrating the health benefits of soy.
ST. LOUIS -- Many Americans may think of soy as the little bean that’s good for your heart, but a distinguished body of researchers who gathered in San Diego recently for the Fourth International Symposium on the Role of Soy in Preventing and Treating Chronic Disease believes that soy can do much more.
Research presented at the symposium suggests that soy may be a critical element in the prevention and treatment of conditions such as arthritis, osteoporosis, cancers of the prostate, breast and thyroid, and renal disease. “Research on soy and health has increased at such an impressive pace. The proliferation of this research will have a tremendously beneficial impact on public health,” said symposium co-chair Dr. Mark Messina.
Osteoarthritis
A number of studies presented at the symposium show that soyfoods might play an important role in preventing and treating a host of chronic ailments. One study presented at the symposium showed that soy consumption lowered the prevalence of osteoarthritis, a disease that affects over 20 million Americans according to Arthritis Foundation estimates.
Osteoporosis
The first long-term study on the effects of soy on bone density demonstrated that isoflavone-rich soymilk prevented bone loss in a group of postmenopausal women. That’s good news for the 28 million Americans who suffer from osteoporosis, eighty percent of whom are women, according to figures from the National Osteoporosis Foundation.
Cancer Prevention
Investigating potential cancer prevention and treatment methods is a priority for many in the health community. Soy researchers at the chronic disease symposium presented data that indicate that soy may have a protective effect on prostate and breast cancers. One study presented at the symposium found that soy slowed tumor growth in men diagnosed with prostate cancer. A separate study showed that genistein, a naturally occurring soy compound, not only reduced prostate lesions in those already diagnosed with prostate cancer, but also prevented the onset of new cases. The same study indicates that dietary genistein may also have breast cancer preventive properties.
Other research presented at the symposium showed great promise in demonstrating soy’s beneficial role in treating and preventing breast cancer. In two separate human trials, results indicate that soy might decrease breast density and inflammation, two known risk factors for breast cancer. Results from a separate study indicate that the timing of exposure to soy might be important in securing the maximum cancer-preventative benefits from genistein. It appeared that subjects exposed to genistein early in life and then again in adulthood had a lower incidence of breast cancer. Additional studies suggest that soy may enhance the beneficial effects of hormone replacement therapy as well as tamoxifen, indicating that phytoestrogens may be a good supplement to these pharmacological treatments.
Kidney Disease
Researchers also studied the role of soy in preventing renal problems in diabetics, as diabetic nephropathy is the most frequent cause of end-stage renal disease. High soy protein intake led to greater maintenance of kidney function in animals, and soy consumption led to a greater reduction of LDL cholesterol and increase in HDL cholesterol in humans. Soy helped prevent protein energy malnourishment of hemodialysis patients, a condition that often leads to problems with dialysis.
According to USB’s 2001-2002 National Report on Consumer Attitudes About Nutrition, 72 percent of consumers changed their eating habits due to health and nutrition concerns in 2001, up from 68 percent in 2000. Consumers are also becoming more health-savvy, with the number who found health and nutrition information confusing down from 63 percent in 2000 to 56 percent in 2001. With increased awareness of the healthy benefits of soy and greater mainstream access to soyfoods, the percentage of Americans who consume soyfoods on a regular basis is on the rise with twenty seven percent consuming soyfoods weekly.
The United Soybean Board is a farmer-led organization comprising 62 farmer-directors. USB oversees the investments of the soybean checkoff on behalf of all U.S. soybean farmers. Back to top
Soybeans May Help Iron-Deficient Women After All
Score another one for soy. ARS-assisted research suggests that ferritin in soybeans is a highly usable source of iron for women who are marginally iron deficient.
The finding, reported in this month's American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, can help make a significant gain against iron deficiency, which affects 30 percent of the world's population and is especially prevalent among women and children living in poverty. It decreases cognitive function and worker productivity and can lead to illness and death.
The study refutes the belief that iron in the form of ferritin in soybeans has poor bioavailability, that is, the body does not readily absorb it after it is ingested.
Eighteen female volunteers—most of whom had marginal iron deficiency—consumed soy in the form of muffins and had their iron measured 14 days later. They then repeated the process with soy broth.
Ross Welch, a plant physiologist from ARS' Plant, Soil, and Nutrition Laboratory in Ithaca, New York, assisted in the study. He says the ferritin in the soybeans proved "highly bioavailable—as bioavailable as the iron in meat," even in the presence of phytic acid, an "antinutrient" found in legume seeds and in whole cereal grains that interferes with iron uptake.
Welch says the absorption rate of iron in the broth and muffins averaged 27 percent during the 28-day test period—much higher than the 5 to 10 percent expected from earlier human studies. He explains that use of a high-ferritin soybean variety may be what led to the high iron bioavailability levels observed in this study.
This research began in 1994 with studies of ferritin in soybean seeds and root nodules at North Carolina State University in Raleigh and in the Soybean and Nitrogen Fixation Research Unit on the school's campus.
It was begun by Elizabeth Theil, an ARS-supported biochemistry professor at the university. She collaborated with ARS agronomist Joseph W. Burton in Raleigh and with John Beard, a nutrition professor at Pennsylvania State University at University Park. The research eventually included studies with mice done at Penn State.
The recent work was done at Penn State's General Clinical Research Center by Theil, who is now senior scientist at Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute in California, along with Beard and graduate student Laura Murra-Kolb.
Welch assisted by growing the Tokyo variety of soybeans with a radioactive isotope of iron, which made it possible to "label" the iron in seed ferritin and make it detectable in red blood cells.
He cautions that the results are not unequivocal, because not all of the iron in the soybeans used in the study was in the ferritin form. Theil says this issue is being addressed by current studies.—By Luis Pons, Agricultural Research Service Information Staff. Back to top
FISH OIL, SOY MAY CUT RISK OF DEATH: STUDY
December 30, 2002
Fish and soy are staples of the diet in Japan, which has the highest reported life expectancy in the world.
A new study from Japan provides additional evidence for the health benefits of a diet rich in fish oil and soy products.
According to the report, men and women who consumed the highest levels of soy were least likely to die of any cause during the study. Omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oil and fatty fish such as salmon and mackerel were also associated with a lower risk of death among women, but not men.
Fish and soy are staples of the diet in Japan, which has the highest reported life expectancy in the world, note researchers in a recent issue of the American Journal of Epidemiology.
Numerous studies have demonstrated that dietary soy, which contains plant estrogens known as phytoestrogens, may inhibit some forms of cancer and lower the risk of heart disease. Fish oil is associated with reduced levels of inflammation in the body, reduced clotting and improved blood cholesterol levels.
But the relationship between these compounds and longevity is not clear. To investigate, researchers from Gifu University in Japan reviewed food records of nearly 30,000 Japanese adults. About 2,000 died over the 7-year course of the study.
An analysis of diet records revealed that adults who were in the top 25% based on their consumption of soy foods were less likely to die during the study than their peers who consumed the least soy. Omega-3 fatty acids were associated with a lower risk of dying from all causes among women but not among men.
More research is needed on the relationship between these compounds and specific diseases such as cancer, stroke and heart disease, Dr. Chisato Nagata and colleagues conclude. Back to top
SOY, VITAMIN E ALTERNATIVES FOR HORMONE TREATMENT
December 2, 2002
More health experts are recommending soyfoods and vitamin E for women going through menopause, following the Women's Health Initiative study that found risks of heart disease and other problems from hormone therapy treatment (HRT).
Dr. JoAnn E. Manson of Harvard Medical School was a principal investigator for the Women's Health Initiative and now counsels women to use soyfoods such as soy milk or tofu on a daily basis. She also suggested that women can take vitamin E and that "it's probably best to combine the two."
Both soy and vitamin E, which in its natural form is made from soybeans, have long been seen as helping reduce hot flashes, night sweating and disturbed sleep for women going through menopause. In the wake of adverse findings for hormone use in the Women's Health Initiative study, both soy and vitamin E are receiving renewed attention.
An estimated 15 million women had been taking hormone therapy until the study revealed that the risks of taking hormone combinations outweighed the benefits. The projected eight-year study was canceled after five years because of the findings.
Tufts University's Health & Nutrition Letter, a leading medical and health publication, said in a special report on "life after hormone therapy" that many women are "at a loss" about what to do now.
Interviewed in the Health & Nutrition Letter, Dr. Manson, professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, recommended alternatives including soyfoods and vitamin E. For soy, Dr. Manson suggests one to two servings a day.
"Many women will get some relief with just one or two glasses of soy milk a day or increasing tofu," she said, "and that could be maintained safely in the diet very long- term." For vitamin E, Dr. Manson recommended daily intake of 400 to 800 units.
"Women might want to try this together with soy," she said, noting that it's probably best to combine the two. Back to top
SOY NUTS SHOWN TO BATTLE HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE
Washington Times - November 20, 2002
CHICAGO — Eating dry-roasted soy nuts may help post-menopausal women lower their blood pressure, according to a study released yesterday.
The finding, issued at the annual scientific meeting of the American Heart Association, may be of interest to women looking for an alternative to hormone-replacement therapy. Studies recently found that long-term use of hormone replacements raises women's risk of heart disease and breast cancer.
Researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Brookline, Mass., said they began looking at soy nuts because women in Japan, where soy consumption is high, have low rates of both heart disease and breast cancer.
They said a study involving 60 women over eight weeks found that a half cup of dry-roasted soy nuts daily lowered systolic blood pressure by 10 percent and diastolic blood pressure by 7 percent among those in the study who had high blood pressure. Back to top
STARS ARE CRAZY FOR SOY CREATIONS
Washington D.C. - October 3, 2002
Washington D.C. (October 3, 2002)- Chef Akasha, chef to the stars, receives the Soyfoods Culinary Leadership Award from the Soyfoods Association of North America (SANA) today. No one expected that bringing soy mainstream meant Thanksgiving dinner for 200 of Michael Jackson's band and crew, dinner parties for Al Pacino, band rehearsals for Madonna, and photo shoots for Pierce Brosnan. Chef Akasha Richmond has traveled and cooked all over the world, gathering international soy recipes that appear in her book, The Art of Tofu. Her creations appear on menus in exquisite restaurants, in package goods on supermarket shelves, and in the centerfolds of popular magazines. She will work with chefs at the Washington Grand Hyatt Hotel to create soy delicacies for the SANA Soyfoods Celebration held this evening.
The great taste of soy has also found its way into the halls of the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Under Secretary for Food, Nutrition and Consumer Services Eric M. Bost (FNCS), and Acting Director for the Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, Steve Christensen attended a soyfood taste test sponsored by SANA. USDA staff sampled a variety of foods made from soybeans, a major U.S. crop, in the patio at USDA's Whitten building. Fighting obesity is a top priority for Under Secretary Bost as he works to increase access to the agency's fifteen nutrition assistance programs. His commitment to improving access for program participants and improved nutritional well-being promotes the health of low-income children and their families as well as the general public. The Soyfoods Association awards the Soyfoods Government Leadership Award to Under Secretary Bost for his efforts to promote health and well-being of Americans.
The good taste and the good health of soy is news worthy. The Soyfoods Association also recognizes a reporter that has often broken the good news about soy, including the "Milk Without the Moo" article that appeared in The Washington Post last January. Carole Sugarman, formerly a food writer with The Washington Post and now USDA and nutrition correspondent for Food Chemical News, will receive the Soyfoods Media Leadership Award.
According to SANA President, Tom Woodward, an executive with TetraPak, "Today's trend that finds soy featured in fine dining restaurants will lead to a reality where children and adults can find at least one soyfoods choice at most food service stops tomorrow. We already see soy dogs at the ball park, soy cheese in pizza parlors, soymilk on military bases, edamame on salad bars, soyburgers in fast food chains and soy spaghetti with blended meat and soy crumbles on school lunch lines. The number of new soy-based foods has increased 11% per year for the past three years. Sales of soyfoods for 2002 have grown to $3.2 billion, a doubling since 1997. The FDA-approved soy and heart disease health claim helped boost the growth."
To keep the soy industry cohesive and focused upward has taken strong leadership. The Soyfoods Association awards the Soyfoods Industry Leadership Award to Devansoy's Roger Kilburn who initiated the association's strategic planning efforts and recently organized a successful industry symposium to help companies stay tuned to the future. He knows the industry from inside a large soy processor as well as a smaller, specialized supplier and has developed some of the technologies that have resulted in improved taste and textures of soy products.
The generous support of Archer Daniels Midland, Cargill, DuPont Protein Technologies, Galaxy Nutritional Foods, Hain Celestial Group, Lightlife, Sunrich Food Group, Tetra Pak, Vitasoy USA, Inc, and White Wave makes this event possible. The Soyfoods Association of North America encourages sustainability, integrity and growth in the soyfoods industry by promoting the benefits and consumption of soy-based foods and ingredients in the diets. Visit SANA's web site, www soyfoods.org, to find products that fit into every day life and everyone's diet. Back to top
JANUARY 2003 AMERICAN JOURNAL OF CLINICAL NUTRITION: FERRITIN IN SOYBEANS MAY BE A GOOD IRON SOURCE FOR WOMEN
ARS News Service - January 6, 2003
Score another one for soy. ARS-assisted research suggests that ferritin in soybeans is a highly usable source of iron for women who are marginally iron deficient.
The finding, reported in this month's American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, can help make a significant gain against iron deficiency, which affects 30 percent of the world's population and is especially prevalent among women and children living in poverty. It decreases cognitive function and worker productivity and can lead to illness and death.
The study refutes the belief that iron in the form of ferritin in soybeans has poor bioavailability, that is, the body does not readily absorb it after it is ingested.
Eighteen female volunteers—most of whom had marginal iron deficiency—consumed soy in the form of muffins and had their iron measured 14 days later. They then repeated the process with soy broth.
Ross Welch, a plant physiologist from ARS' Plant, Soil, and Nutrition Laboratory in Ithaca, New York, assisted in the study. He says the ferritin in the soybeans proved "highly bioavailable—as bioavailable as the iron in meat," even in the presence of phytic acid, an "antinutrient" found in legume seeds and in whole cereal grains that interferes with iron uptake.
Welch says the absorption rate of iron in the broth and muffins averaged 27 percent during the 28-day test period—much higher than the 5 to 10 percent expected from earlier human studies. He explains that use of a high-ferritin soybean variety may be what led to the high iron bioavailability levels observed in this study.
This research began in 1994 with studies of ferritin in soybean seeds and root nodules at North Carolina State University in Raleigh and in the Soybean and Nitrogen Fixation Research Unit on the school's campus.
It was begun by Elizabeth Theil, an ARS-supported biochemistry professor at the university. She collaborated with ARS agronomist Joseph W. Burton in Raleigh and with John Beard, a nutrition professor at Pennsylvania State University at University Park. The research eventually included studies with mice done at Penn State.
The recent work was done at Penn State's General Clinical Research Center by Theil, who is now senior scientist at Children's Hospital Oakland Research Institute in California, along with Beard and graduate student Laura Murra-Kolb.
Welch assisted by growing the Tokyo variety of soybeans with a radioactive isotope of iron, which made it possible to "label" the iron in seed ferritin and make it detectable in red blood cells.
He cautions that the results are not unequivocal, because not all of the iron in the soybeans used in the study was in the ferritin form. Theil says this issue is being addressed by current studies—By Luis Pons, Agricultural Research. Back to top
SOY IS AMONG 'MOST PROMISING' REMEDIES FOR WOMEN SUFFERING FROM MENOPAUSAL DISCOMFORT, REPORT SAYS
WASHINGTON, Nov 25, 2002 /PRNewswire/
More recommendations for intake of soyfoods by women are being made by health specialists in the wake of recent findings from the Women's Health Initiative warning against hormone replacement therapy (HRT).
The Johns Hopkins medical letter, Health After 50, has addressed "easing through menopause without HRT" in depth in its November edition. Soy appears to be one of the most promising remedies to overcome menopausal discomfort, the publication reported. Citing a report issued by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), the Johns Hopkins medical letter pointed out that dietary soy "is a staple in Asia" and has been proposed as "one reason for the lower rate of perimenopausal symptoms reported by Asian women."
Soyfoods "contain isoflavones, substances that have weak estrogen-like effects," the publication said.
"According to a report issued by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists," it said, "soy appears to be among the most promising of these remedies." The recommendation of soy was based on dietary intake.
Meanwhile, a survey conducted by the North American Menopause Society has found that 30 percent of the survey's respondents said they have used herbs or supplements to overcome perimenopausal discomfort.
In addition to soy, other plant-based products found somewhat promising for relieving mild to moderate discomfort were black cohosh, a member of the buttercup family, and St. John's wort, a shrubby perennial with yellow flowers, the Johns Hopkins medical letter said.
SOURCE Foods for the Future. Back to top
DR. SUSAN LARK, WOMEN'S HEALTH EXPERT, DESIGNS NEW WEIGHT LOSS PROGRAM FOR WOMEN OVER 40
POTOMAC, Md., Nov. 5, 2002 /PRNewswire/
Susan Lark, M.D., women's health expert who advocates combining traditional medical protocols with alternative medicine, has created the new "Daily Balance Weight Loss Program," which offers natural solutions to the core issues facing women over 40 who struggle to lose weight and keep it off.
According to the National Institutes of Health, 58 million Americans, age 20-74, are overweight. Thirty-two million are women; and at any given time, some 30 to 40 percent of those women are working on weight loss. Most of them experience the yo-yo effect, losing weight on one diet, only to gain it all back and then some, when they stop dieting. The holidays are a particularly difficult time for many. In fact, recent studies show that Americans average a seven-pound weight gain each year from Thanksgiving through New Year's.
"There are many ways to diet that may help lose weight temporarily," says Dr. Lark, "but very often, these programs have a poor record of helping make the changes that address the real causes of weight gain -- especially for women over 40."
Over her 27 years in practice, Dr. Lark has worked with thousands of female patients who were struggling to lose weight. She has determined that there are four main barriers for women that are caused by age-related chemical imbalances: a sluggish metabolism, which comes with aging; food allergies, which can cause accumulation of inflammatory fluids or "false fat;" mood swings, which intensify food cravings; and disturbances in the signals that regulate appetite. Her new program addresses each of those barriers to stop hunger, boost mood and maintain high energy.
An expert on nutrition and supplementation, Dr. Lark has made the "Daily Balance Meal Replacement Shake" the cornerstone of her "Daily Balance Weight Loss Program." The program also includes a powerful nutritional formula, the "Daily Balance Weight Loss Booster," which enhances metabolism, suppresses appetite, and lifts mood, plus a supplement, "Daily Balance L-Carnitine," which helps convert fat into energy. In addition, Dr. Lark also prepared a "Daily Balance Guide to Permanent Weight Loss." Written primarily for women over 40, the guide contains meal plans, explains how to use the shake and supplements, and outlines appropriate moderate exercises. Dr. Lark's entire weight loss program is available exclusively through Doctors' Preferred, Inc. (DPI), a subsidiary of Phillips Health, LLC, and one of the largest North American direct-mail supplement distributors.
"By following my recommendations for moderate exercise and the 'Daily Balance' meal plan, women over 40 should be well on their way to permanent weight loss," Dr. Lark adds. "Willpower, alone, won't help anyone lose weight. The cravings will eventually overwhelm you. But the right type of protein, in the right amount will promote a natural feeling of fullness.
"That's why I specifically chose soy as the primary source of protein in my meal replacement product. It's heart-healthy, high quality and cholesterol free, and contains phytoestrogens (plant estrogens) to help balance a woman's hormone levels."
Dr. Lark has devoted her career to raising awareness of women's health issues, such as osteoporosis, hormone replacement therapy and obesity. One of the foremost authorities in the fields of clinical and preventive medicine, she pioneered the use of women's self-care treatments based on diet, nutrition, exercise and stress management, which she has presented in a nine- book series that includes "The Premenstrual Syndrome Self Help Book," "The Menopause Self Help Book" and "The Estrogen Decision" (Celestial Arts Publishing). Most recently, she co-authored "The Chemistry of Success: Six Secrets of Peak Performance" (Bay Books, 2000).
Her monthly newsletter, "The Lark Letter," with a circulation of over 100,000 subscribers, and her Web site, http://www.drlark.com , are dedicated to educating and empowering women to make the best choices for optimum health. Web site visitors may also sign up for Dr. Lark's free bi-weekly e-letter, which offers comments on breaking health news plus lifestyle tips, easy recipes and simple exercises for health and well-being.
"We are especially pleased to have this new program available for women over 40," says Linda Werner, DPI executive director for women's health. "We've been deluged with calls from women asking Dr. Lark to put all of her recommendations into a program to make it easy for them to lose weight. The response has been overwhelming."
DPI, a subsidiary of Phillips Health, LLC, a Phillips International, Inc., company, is based in the Greater Washington, D.C. area. Phillips Health is the recognized leader in providing authoritative health solutions to consumers through online resources, newsletters, reports and other publications. Phillips International (http://www.phillips.com ), also in Potomac, Md., is a leading publisher in America with a thriving Internet business. The privately held company provides a variety of quality products and services for the health and investment marketplaces.
SOURCE Phillips Health, LLC Back to top
STUDY REVEALS SOY MAY IMPROVE HEALTH BY LOWERING OVERALL BODY MASS INDEX
The New England Journal Of Medicine - WILMINGTON, Del.
(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 29, 2002
A recently released report by The New England Journal of Medicine revealed that persons with increased body-mass indexes (BMI), associated with varying levels of excess weight and obesity, increase their risk of heart failure. Recent studies have found that soy protein may help with both of these issues - obesity and heart health. Soy has inherent weight management benefits in addition to Food and Drug Administration-supported heart health benefits.
Given the prevalence of obesity in the United States, lifestyle choices that promote optimal body weight may reduce the risk of heart disease, the study concluded. How can consumers cut through the maze of fad diets and exercise regimens to get to the "heart" of the matter? It's important that consumers realize there are simple ways to prevent these common, life-threatening health risks.
Including soy foods and beverages in consumers' healthy diets is one simple change that may help lower body weight and overall BMI to prevent health risks associated with heart disease - high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol.
"When consumed as an alternative to foods high in saturated fat, soy can be helpful in maintaining a healthy weight and reducing body fat in people who exercise," stated Belinda Jenks, Ph.D., sports nutrition and obesity research expert at DuPont Protein Technologies. "The National Institutes of Health, the National Heart, Blood and Lung Institute, and the North American Association for the Study of Obesity recommend that diets for weight loss should contain plant-based and lean animal protein. As a nutritionally rich plant-based protein, soy fits well with this recommendation. Soy is an excellent protein to eat when trying to manage weight."
How do consumers incorporate soy protein into their diets? Great-tasting, soy-based entrees, soymilk, beverages, energy bars and snacks are available to consumers looking for alternatives to animal protein-based products. "For consumers who want to do something good to help manage their weight and overall health, it's easy to incorporate soy protein into their everyday lives by simply looking for products with the Solae ingredient," explained Jenks. Solae(TM) brand soy protein is a complete, high-quality protein derived from soybeans and is used as an ingredient in a wide variety of food, beverage and meat products. It provides the promise of convenience, great taste and real health benefits.
In addition to weight management, the benefits of soy protein go straight to the heart. Research shows overweight or obese individuals whose diets are rich in soy protein reduce blood LDL cholesterol. And lowering the concentration of blood cholesterol is associated with a reduction in the risk of coronary heart disease. In 1999, the U.S. FDA approved a health claim that links consumption of soy to improved heart health.
The Framingham Heart Study, reported in The New England Journal of Medicine, was conducted over 14 years, and found that its obese participants' risk of heart failure doubled when compared to participants with normal BMIs. Body-mass index, a measurement of choice by physicians and researchers, uses a mathematical formula that takes into account a person's height and weight.
The study recently was enforced at the American Dietetic Association's (ADA) annual conference and exhibition by several researchers in an educational session sponsored by DuPont Protein Technologies titled, "Weight Management: The Role of Soy Protein and Physical Activity in Obesity Prevention." During the session, the researchers outlined obesity across the life cycle as well as the role of soy protein and its health benefits as it relates to weight management. In addition, they spoke about the role and relative effectiveness of exercise in reducing body fat levels in men versus women.
DuPont Protein Technologies is the leading researcher, manufacturer and marketer of high-quality soy protein and soy fiber ingredients. The company supplies these ingredients to food manufacturers and retailers worldwide. DuPont Protein Technologies' mission is to best satisfy customer and consumer needs for functional ingredients and solutions that bring to market great tasting, healthier, and more innovative foods.
DuPont Protein Technologies invests in fundamental research to understand the health benefits of soy protein. Leading independent researchers from universities and research institutes worldwide are studying the role of soy protein using ingredients from DuPont Protein Technologies. These research efforts have contributed significantly to the growing body of knowledge supporting the health value of soy protein and were the basis for the DuPont Protein Technologies health claim petition to the U.S. FDA. For more information, please visit www.solae.com
During 2002, DuPont is celebrating its 200th year of scientific achievement and innovation - providing products and services that improve the lives of people everywhere. Based in Wilmington, Del., DuPont delivers science-based solutions for markets that make a difference in people's lives in food and nutrition; health care; apparel; home and construction; electronics; and transportation.
Solae(TM) is a trademark of Protein Technologies, International Back to top
SOY BOOMS AS ALTERNATIVE TO HORMONE THERAPY FOR WOMEN; SALES TO REACH $3.5 BILLION THIS YEAR - WASHINGTON, Sept. 23, 2002 /PRNewswire/
Thanks in large part to women's worries about taking hormones, soy, which contains plant estrogens, is soaring in popularity, the national newspaper USA Today reports.
With retail sales of soyfoods in the U.S. expected to surpass $3.5 billion this year, soy is being widely touted as helpful to relieve hot flashes for women undergoing menopausal and post-menopausal problems.
The soy boom follows a July announcement warning against one form of hormone replacement therapy. A study, the Women's Health Initiative, found that health risks increased among women using a combination of the hormones estrogen and progestin.
"A woman who is not going to take HRT (hormone replacement therapy) will probably get some benefit from consuming soy," Professor Mindy Kurzer of the University of Minnesota-St. Paul, a nutrition specialist, told USA Today.
Hundreds of studies using soy protein and soyfoods have been conducted, she noted, and said more research is needed to assess the benefits. "The manufacturers are way ahead of the science."
Measuring the effects of various therapies on menopausal symptoms has been difficult, because of both the placebo effects and individual response variation. New studies, however, are beginning to show benefit from soy isoflavones in relieving menopausal symptoms. One study, conducted in Brazil by scientists at the Federal University of Sao Paulo's School of Medicine, has shown that isoflavone treatment can be a safe and effective alternative treatment for menopausal symptoms.
Soy appears to be a "logical alternative" to conventional hormone replacement therapy, the USA Today article by Rita Rubin said. The article pointed out that in Japan, where people routinely eat one or two servings of soy each day, "women are much less likely to report having menopause symptoms than women in the USA."
Japanese women also have lower rates of heart disease, breast cancer and fractures. On average, the Japanese consume fewer calories and drink more green tea than Americans. Both are factors thought to protect against heart disease and possibly cancer, the article said.
USA Today also reported on a study published in the Journal of Women's Health and Gender-Based Medicine finding that post-menopausal women who ate a lot of soy had greater bone density in their spine than women who didn't. Back to top
EXERCISE FIRMS FAT, CUTS HEART RISK IN OLDER WOMEN
Tuesday January 14, 2003
By Suzanne Rostler
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Regular, moderate exercise can lower the risk of heart disease among older women by boosting fitness and trimming tummy fat, new research shows.
The study found that postmenopausal women who began an exercise program of brisk walking or cycling five days a week lowered their levels of abdominal fat by about 6% and lost weight, regardless of body weight or age. Not surprisingly, the most active women lost the most body fat and the most weight.
Women who did no cardiovascular exercise but performed stretching exercises one day a week actually saw intra-abdominal fat and weight increase slightly after a year, report researchers in the January 15th issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (news - web sites).
The results suggest a strategy for lowering the risk of heart disease, a leading cause of death among women. Intra-abdominal fat is considered a major risk factor for heart disease and is also associated with type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
Fit individuals, or those able to maintain an elevated heart rate over time, are also less likely to die of heart disease regardless of body weight, Dr. Anne McTiernan from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, Washington, and colleagues explain.
Therefore, the study has implications for the soaring rates of obesity in the US. Nearly two-thirds of the adult population is now considered overweight or obese, as measured by body mass index (BMI). An adult with a BMI above 25 is considered overweight and one with a BMI exceeding 29 is considered obese.
Dieting, previous studies have shown, may be just part of the solution. To investigate the effect of regular exercise on body fat and weight, researchers divided 168 inactive women aged 50 to 75 years into two groups. All women had BMIs over 25.
The exercisers were instructed to walk on a treadmill or cycle on a stationary bicycle for at least 45 minutes, five days a week, for one year. Weight training was recommended but not required. Women in the control group performed a series of stretching exercises one day a week for the year.
The most active women, or those who exercised more than 3 hours and 15 minutes a week, lost about 7% of their intra-abdominal fat, compared with a loss of 6% among intermediate exercisers, as measured by a CT scan. Those who exercised less than 2 hours and 15 minutes a week lost 3.4% of their intra-abdominal fat, while women in the control group gained 0.1% intra-abdominal fat, the study found.
Body weight decreased by an average of 1.3 kilograms (kg) or nearly three pounds in the group of exercises, while body weight rose very slightly (.2 pounds) in the group of stretchers.
"Women should be relieved that when they increase their exercise levels, they are doing good things for their bodies and health, even if they don't see much change on the scale," McTiernan said in an interview.
According to a study cited in her article, losing just over two pounds is associated with a 1% reduction in cholesterol and a 2% reduction in triglycerides, a type of body fat associated with heart disease. Losing this amount of weight can also reduce fasting blood sugar, an indicator of diabetes risk.
More research is needed to determine whether dieting would help reduce abdominal fat even further, McTiernan said.
SOURCE: Journal of the American Medical Association 2003 Back to top
BRAIN BOOSTER
Thursday January 16, 2003
(HealthScoutNews) -- Physical activity benefits your body as well as your mind, especially your memory skills.
According to the Baycrest Center for Geriatric Care in Toronto, exercise increases the supply of blood and nutrients to the brain. Research shows that after a 20-minute walk, older adults perform better on memory tests. Back to top
SOY LOWERS BLOOD PRESSURE IN FEMALE TEST; WOMEN PATIENTS IMPROVED BY DIET OF SOY NUTS.
WASHINGTON, February 21, 2003 /PRNewswire/
Soy nuts helped women lower their blood pressure, according to results of a new health study reported by Cornell University.
The study was conducted by researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Brookline, Mass., and has been discussed at a scientific meeting of the American Heart Association.
"Half a cup of dry-roasted soy nuts each day may help women lower their blood pressure after menopause," the Food and Fitness Advisor, a publication of Cornell's Weill Medical College, reported.
Results of the study showed that the soy effect worked "almost as well as taking some medications," the Cornell publication said.
An eight-week study found that women with high blood pressure who ate a half-cup of soy nuts daily lowered their systolic blood pressure by l0 percent. Diastolic blood pressure was lowered by 7 percent.
"But even women with normal pressure were able to lower it by eating the soy nuts," the Food and Fitness Advisor said.
High blood pressure -- generally defined as 140 and above for systolic pressure and 90 or more for diastolic pressure -- is considered a risk factor for cardiovascular disease.
The Massachusetts study involved 60 post-menopausal women. Researchers told the American Heart Association meeting that their study results are promising, and said a larger study is needed to confirm the soy effects on blood pressure. Back to top
MEN ALSO BENEFIT FROM SOY
Men Also Benefit From Soy:
Women aren't the only beneficiaries of soy isoflavones. These remarkable nutrients may also reduce the risk of prostate cancer in men. Japanese men consume substantially more soy than Western men do, and their blood levels of isoflavones are up to 110 times richer in these nutrients. Studies show that genistein inhibits the growth of tumors dependent on male hormones.. According to Herman Adlercreutz, MD, of the University of Helsinki, Finland, the high lifelong isoflavone levels found in Japanese men may account for their relatively low risk of death from prostate cancer. How do isoflavones help men? According to Wing-Ming Keung, Ph.D., of the Harvard Medical School, Cambridge, MA, these nutrients inhibit the activity of enzymes involved in the breakdown of steroid hormones, including testosterone.
From: seapointfarms.com Back to top
EIGHT IN TEN REGISTERED DIETITIANS INTERESTED IN SOY PROTEIN PRODUCTS FOR THEIR CHILDREN
January 23, 2003 — Dupont Protein Technologies
In a recent U.S. survey of more than 600 registered dietitian-parents, 87 percent said they are at least "somewhat interested" in soy protein foods as one potential solution to help their children eat more healthfully.
Some 30 percent of the dietitians believe one of the biggest issues they face when feeding their own children is "poor eating habits." Many list fast food as a primary culprit. A desire for better nutrition and diet for their children – more fruits, vegetables and protein – also is a major concern of those surveyed. This survey follows a U.S. Surgeon General's report calling for sweeping changes in schools, restaurants, workplaces and communities to help combat the growing epidemic of Americans who are overweight or obese.
Why soy protein? In addition to great taste and convenience, soy protein may help prevent disease (including problems associated with obesity) and provide valuable health benefits. In fact, the Institutes of Health, the National Heart, Blood and Lung Institute, and the North American Association for the Study of Obesity recommend that diets for weight loss should contain plant-based and lean animal protein. As a nutritionally rich plant-based protein, soy fits well with this recommendation. And soy protein lacks saturated fat and cholesterol associated with many dietary sources of animal protein.
Kathy Greaves, director of Women's Health Research at DuPont Protein Technologies, said, "Overweight children run health risks – diabetes, elevated cholesterol and high blood pressure. Dietitians recognize the importance of developing healthful eating habits to continue for a lifetime. Most important, dietitians know soy protein offers an excellent choice for good nutrition for their children."
At the grocery store, consumers can find tasty foods and beverages for the whole family that include soy protein by looking for products made with Solae™ ingredients. Solae™ is the product of more than 30 years of scientific research by DuPont Protein Technologies. For tasty recipes that contain soy protein, visit www.solae.com. Back to top
NO QUALITY-OF-LIFE BENEFIT SEEN FOR HORMONE THERAPY
MANY PHYSICIANS ARE USING ALTERNATIVE FORMULATIONS (SUCH AS SOY-BASED ESTROGENS:
Reuters Health
By Karla Gale
Tuesday, March 18, 2003
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Coming on the heels of research that questioned hormone replacement therapy's (HRT) safety, new findings from the same study suggest the once-popular regimen may offer little or no real benefit to postmenopausal women.
Data from the Women's Health Initiative (WHI), a large trial of postmenopausal women, suggest that treatment with estrogen plus progestin (Prempro) has no clinically meaningful effect on women's health-related quality of life.
For decades, doctors have prescribed HRT to older women who complained of hot flashes, night sweats or other menopausal symptoms, and to help prevent osteoporosis.
But even among women with hot flashes, benefits do not appear to outweigh the risks of serious adverse effects, researchers report in an upcoming issue of The New England Journal of Medicine.
The journal's editors decided to release the findings early because of their "potential therapeutic limitations," and published the study and an accompanying editorial Monday on the journal's Web site.
Dr. Jennifer Hays of Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, and her co-researchers randomly assigned more than 16,600 women ages 50 to 79 to Prempro or to a placebo.
After the first year, the researchers did note some positive effects on physical functioning, body pain and sleep disturbance in the treatment group, versus the placebo group. However, the extent of the changes was so small they were not considered clinically meaningful.
There were no significant differences between the groups in terms of general health, limitations on usual activities, vitality, social functioning, mental health or sexual satisfaction. These findings held for a smaller group of women reassessed again three years after beginning treatment.
Looking specifically at women suffering from a moderate or high incidence of hot flashes, Hays' team found that about 77 percent of 1,072 women taking HRT reported improvements in the severity of their hot flashes, compared with about 52 percent of 974 women in the placebo group. Results were similar when the investigators focused on women with night sweats.
However, this modest benefit in reducing menopausal symptoms may not outweigh the risks of long-term HRT use, which has been linked to a higher incidence of heart disease and breast and ovarian cancers.
In the accompanying editorial, Dr. Deborah Grady of the University of California, San Francisco, advises that "all women, but particularly those at higher risk for the adverse effects of hormone therapy, should consider alternative therapies" for relief of menopausal symptoms. These currently include drugs such as megestrol, antidepressants and clonidine.
"I think we need a lot more research," Hays told Reuters Health. "Ironically, the only drug that we have really good data for is Prempro, so we really need more clinical trials."
She noted that many physicians are using alternative formulations (such as soy-based estrogens) or other ways to administer the hormones, such as patches that deliver the drugs through the skin.
"And lots of women are turning to supplements, so-called natural hormones. But we don't know if they're effective, and we don't know if they are safe," Hays added.
Hays acknowledged, however, that "it is difficult to generalize our findings to any one woman."
The Food and Drug Administration currently recommends that "if you use hormones for the treatment of symptoms, they should be used for the shortest possible time in lowest possible dose," she added.
SOURCE: The New England Journal of Medicine 2003;348. Back to top
'SOY To THE RESCUE,' PREVENTION MAGAZINE SAYS; HELPS PREVENT HOT FLASHES, HAS EXTRA BENEFITS
WASHINGTON, March 11, 2003 /PRNewswire/ -- Soy products not only can help women relieve hot flashes, but soy also has extra benefits, a leading consumer health magazine, Prevention, reports.
Recent research has warned against hormone therapy for relief, Allison Sarubin Fragakis, a registered dietician, writes in an article entitled "What Now for Hot Flashes?" Hormone therapy, whether estrogen alone or estrogen with a progestin, may actually increase a woman's risk of heart attack, stroke, blood clots and breast cancer, she noted.
"One possible non-hormone therapy remedy is pills or powders made from soy or red clover and containing compounds called isoflavones that act like very weak estrogen," the article said. "Soy to the rescue."
Three recent studies have shown that soy can bring relief to women suffering from hot flashes, and one soy researcher, Dr. Mindy Kurzer of the University of Minnesota, has found that soy brings a 10 percent to 20 percent relief in hot flashes.
"Is that significant?" the article asked. "If you're the one suffering from that boiling-over feeling, you might consider even modest relief a blessing."
Additionally, Prevention magazine said, soy has extra benefits including replacing saturated fat, "a boon to your heart."
"After menopause, studies suggest that soy helps keep arteries flexible -- another heart boon -- and bones stronger. Intriguing new research even hints that it may boost your memory," the article said.
SOURCE Foods for the Future Back to top
STUDY SUGGESTS WESTERN DIET TIED TO PROSTATE CANCER
By Jacqueline Stenson
New York (Reuters health) - Prostate cancer is 10 times more common in the United States than Japan and preliminary research suggests that differences in diet may be a reason why.
There has been much speculation that the Western diet is a factor because when Japanese men move to the U.S. and start eating plenty of high-fat burgers and pizza and less soy, their risk of prostate cancer increases.
"Within one generation, the prostate cancer incidence begins skyrocketing," said study author Dr. Leonard S. Marks, a clinical associate professor of urology at the University of California at Los Angeles.
In a new study released Monday at a meeting of the American Urological Association in Chicago, Marks and colleagues examined blood and prostate cancer tissue samples and compared health data from 50 men who had undergone surgery to remove a cancerous prostate gland.
Half of the men lived in Japan, while the other half were Los Angeles residents born in the U.S. to Japanese parents. As such, both groups had similar genetic roots.
But there were marked differences in what they ate.
The Japanese-American men reported eating a diet substantially higher in animal fat. Not surprisingly, they also had a greater percentage of body fat and higher triglyceride levels in their blood.
The native Japanese men ate more soy than the Japanese-American men. Soy has been thought to possibly offer protection against prostate cancer.
"Soy didn't protect these men," Marks said, "but soy may be protecting many other men who don't get prostate cancer in Japan."
While the prostate cancer samples from the two groups appeared similar, detailed analysis of the tumor cells' genetic material told another story. "Since the DNA was arranged differently, there may be a gene-nutrient interaction responsible for the differences," Marks said.
"The cancers look the same but their genesis appears to be different, and that may be a result of diet," he told Reuters Health.
Still, much more research is needed to explain why prostate cancer rates vary widely around the world. "Does this study prove why the differences are there? It doesn't," Marks said. "It's a first step." Back to top
HRT MAY INCREASE RISK OF DEMENTIA IN POSTMENOPAUSAL WOMEN
New York (Reuters Health) - Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) does not improve cognitive function in postmenopausal women and it may actually increase the risk of dementia, according to the findings from two studies published in the May 28th issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.
These results represent yet another reason why HRT "should be prescribed only for temporary use to treat menopausal symptoms," Dr. Kristine Yaffe, from the University of California, San Francisco, notes in an accompanying editorial.
Last year, the Women's Health Initiative (WHI) trial was terminated early after an increased incidence of breast cancer and cardiovascular disease was noted among women who received HRT.
The current findings run counter to some reports that HRT protects against cognitive decline and reduces the risk of Alzheimer's disease. However, the issue had not been investigated in a large randomized controlled trial.
To address this, research teams led by Dr. Sally A. Shumaker and Dr. Stephen R. Rapp, from Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, analyzed cognitive data generated in the WHI trial. In each of the two studies, just over 4000 patients received estrogen plus progestin therapy (HRT) or placebo.
In the study by Dr. Shumaker's team, 61 women were diagnosed with probable dementia during a mean follow-up period of 4 years. Alzheimer's disease was the most common dementia diagnosis.
The researchers found that women treated with HRT were twice as likely to develop probable dementia than control subjects. Based on these findings, HRT use would be expected to result in an additional 23 cases of dementia per 10,000 women annually.
In the second study, Dr. Rapp's team found that HRT did not enhance cognitive function compared with placebo. In fact, HRT-treated women were at slightly increased risk for a clinically important decline in cognitive function.
Dr. Yaffe notes that the lack of benefit seen in the current studies may have stemmed from the presence of progestin in the HRT regimen. "Progestins, especially medroxyprogesterone, have been reported to modify the beneficial effects of estrogen and possibly increase the risk of thromboembolic events."
"The effect of unopposed estrogen on prevention of developing dementia and Alzheimer's disease will be evaluated with the ongoing estrogen arm of the" WHI memory study, she adds.
Source: JAMA 2003;289:2651-2672,2717-2718. Back to top
WOMEN, DOCTORS FACE DILEMMA OVER HRT USE
Fri Aug. 8, 2003
By: Patricia Reaney
LONDON(Reuters) ? Women and doctors must weigh the pros and cons of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) after research shows it can double the normal risk of breast cancer (news ? web sites), health experts said on Friday.
Is relief of the hot flushes, night sweats and mood swings of the menopause worth the increased odds of developing a disease that is the leading cancer killer in women?
That is the questions millions of women will be asking after a British study left no doubt that HRT raises the likelihood of developing the disease.
The study by the charity Cancer Research UK confirms the results of earlier research about the danger of estrogen-only HRT and provides new evidence that combined HRT estrogen and progestogen ? poses a bigger risk.
?Many women have been worried about HRT and the risk of breast cancer. It confirms these fears,? Delyth Morgan, the chief executive of the breast cancer charity Breakthrough Breast Cancer, told Reurters.
Combined HRT is the preferred type of HRT in Britain and Europe because it lessens the risk of cancer of the womb which is linked with estrogen-only HRT.
Morgan said that whether or not to take HRT must be an individual decision, and stressed that the breast cancer risk is not evident until more than a year after taking HRT and recedes quickly when it is stopped.
?This is a very big study and a very important study because the idea of HRT has, in some cases, been cited as a panacea for good health in older women. The sad news is that it is not the case and there are thousands of women who may have developed breast cancer specifically because of taking HRT,? Morgan added.
NO REGRETS
But Barbara Sims, a 56-year-old retiree from Basildon in eastern England who was prescribed HRT for six years and was taken off the treatment when she was diagnosed with breast cancer, said she has no regrets.
She found it worked well to relieve her debilitating symptoms of the menopause. But rather than taking it for six years, she thinks women should be on it for shorter periods.
?Perhaps one or two years and then have a break because your body may have adjusted by then. If the symptoms (of the menopause) don?t come back then you do not need it anymore,? she said in an interview.
Britain?s Committee on Safety of Medicine (CSM) which has reviewed the results of the study and issued advice to doctors, said the benefits of short-term use of HRT, for about a year, outweigh the risks.
It also suggested that treatment should reassessed each year and said women taking HRT for a longer term should be informed of the risk of breast cancer and other adverse effects.
?Women have used complementary therapies to help cope with menopausal symptoms for many, many years. I imagine this will encourage women also to think about other ways of coping,? Morgan said. Back To Top
SOY, FISH OIL MAY PROTECT AGAINST ALZHEIMER'S-STUDY
Wed Sep 1, 2004 12:58 PM ET
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Omega-3 fatty acids, found in soy, fish and other oils and known to provide a range of health benefits, may help protect against Alzheimer's disease, U.S. researchers reported on Wednesday.
Tests on mice showed that a diet high in one particular omega-3 fatty acid called DHA helped protect the brain against the memory loss and cell damage caused by Alzheimer's disease.
"We saw that a diet rich in DHA, or docosahexaenoic acid, dramatically reduces the impact of an Alzheimer's gene, said Greg Cole, a professor of neurology at University of California Los Angeles school of medicine.
Writing in the journal Neuron, Cole and colleagues said they studied mice bred to have genetic mutations that cause brain lesions associated with Alzheimer's disease.
They were looking for something else but noticed the mice did not have the expected memory loss or brain damage. Notably, the synapses, the connections between brain cells, were not as damaged as would be expected.
"We discovered that the mice lived on a nutritious diet of soy and fish -- two ingredients chock-full of omega-3 fatty acids," said Sally Frautschy, who worked on the study.
"Because earlier studies suggest that omega-3 fatty acids may prevent Alzheimer's disease, we realized that the mice's diet could be countering the very thing we were trying to accomplish -- showing the progression of the Alzheimer's-related brain damage," she added in a statement.
The researchers took the fish and soy out of the mouse diet and substituted safflower oil instead, which is low in omega-3 and rich in another fatty acid called omega-6, which does not include DHA. Some mice got the original diet and others got the new, less-healthy diet.
"We found high amounts of synaptic damage in the brains of the Alzheimer's-diseased mice that ate the DHA-depleted diet," Frautschy said. "These changes closely resembled those we see in the brains of people with Alzheimer's disease."
Mutant mice on the DHA-rich diet did better on memory tests than the mice fed safflower oil, the researchers said.
"After adjusting for all possible variables, DHA was the only factor remaining that protected the mice against the synaptic damage and memory loss that should have resulted from their Alzheimer's genes," said Cole. "We concluded that the DHA-enriched diet was holding their genetic disease at bay."
People are already advised to eat omega-3 fatty acids to protect the heart.
DHA and a related fatty acid called AHA are also added to some infant formulas and milks to promote brain development. They are found naturally in human breast milk. Back To Top
