Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, August 3, 1995 TAG: 9508030062
SECTION: NATL/INTL PAGE: A-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: BOSTON LENGTH: Medium
Is there tofu in your future?
The spongy bland stuff, and other food made from soy protein, might be the next dietary fad. A new study suggests they lower cholesterol.
Most talk about the dos and don'ts of a heart-healthy diet focuses on fats, which can affect cholesterol in the bloodstream.
With the latest work, attention is turning to protein. The report concludes that people with seriously high cholesterol can bring it down if they replace some of the animal protein in their diets with soy protein.
The researchers theorized that a vegetable form of estrogen known to be present in soy protein directly lowers cholesterol, though exactly how isn't clear. Human estrogen previously was known to bring down cholesterol.
``Soy protein is a very valuable asset to the diet,'' said Dr. James W. Anderson. ``It's grossly underused by the American public.''
Soy is widely available as tofu, in drinks, in meat substitutes that have the consistency of hamburger and as flour that can be used in baking.
Anderson published his analysis in Thursday's issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. He said he received $5,000 from Protein Technologies International, which makes soy protein, to help pay for the work.
Anderson combined the results of 38 comparison studies of soy protein involving 730 people.
Overall, the volunteers' cholesterol levels fell 23 milligrams per deciliter, or 9 percent, while eating soy protein. However, the effects were significant only for those who already had moderately elevated cholesterol of 259 or above.
by CNB