Meat + Poultry - April 2005 - 47

Soy

nationwide survey sponsored by the
United Soybean Board, several interesting statistics came to light.
The study, based on 1,000 random
telephone interviews, found that
74 percent of U.S. consumers perceive

average American diet, a linoleic acid
diet and an alpha-linolenic acid diet.
Dr. Kris-Etherton's study found that
after six weeks the C-reactive protein,
a marker of inflammation associated
with heart disease, declined in both

Seventy-four percent of U.S.
consumers perceive soy products
as "healthy." There doesn't appear
to be any downside to soy.
soy products as "healthy." Nineteen
percent considered soy products as
"neutral," while 7 percent said soy had
an "unhealthy" connotation.
Thirty-nine percent of those
surveyed recognized awareness of
specific health benefits of including
soy in their diet. Forty-four percent
of the women surveyed said that soy
might provide a health addition to
their diet, compared with 28 percent
of men. Among women surveyed, 21
percent said they were aware of soy's
health benefits in relieving menopause
symptoms.
Reduces risk of heart disease
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration in 1999 began allowing food
companies to identify certain soy-containing products with labels promoting soy as part of a healthy diet. The
health claim states that "25 grams of
soy protein a day, as part of a diet low
in saturated fat and cholesterol, may
reduce the risk of heart disease." Numerous studies have been conducted
during the ensuing six years showcasing soy's ability to reduce such risks.
Most recently, a study conducted by
Dr. Penny Kris-Etherton of Penn State
Univ., University Park, Pa., examined
20 men and three women who were
overweight, about 50 years old and
had moderately elevated total cholesterol and L.D.L. (bad) cholesterol.
During a six-week period, the participants were given one of three diets: an

MEAT&POULTRY

April 2005

the L.A. and A.L.A. diets, but did so
much more significantly in the A.L.A.
diet. Soybean oil provides an excellent
source of A.L.A.
In a second study, Dr. Christine
Albert of Harvard Medical School
linked A.L.A. intake and a decreased
risk of coronary heart disease among
the women monitored as part of
the Nurses Health Study, which has
tracked the lifestyle of 76,000 women
during a 16-year period.
Prostate cancer prevention
A recent study conducted at
Monash Univ. in Australia and
published in Urology, a medical journal, has shown that

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patients with prostate cancer who
incorporated soy into their diets were
able to significantly reduce their
prostate-specific antigen levels. On
average, participants in the study who
added soy in their diets experienced
an average drop of 13 percent in their
P.S.A. levels, which are widely used
to screen for prostate cancer and for
tracking the disease after it has been
diagnosed.
As part of the study, the subjects
were divided into three groups, with
one group eating four slices of bread
with added heat-treated soy grits, one
group eating bread with the soy grits
plus linseed and one group eating regular wheat bread. Of the 28 patients
who completed the study, the most
significant differences were found
between the heat-treated soy grits and
the control wheat bread group.
"The favorable change in P.S.A.
levels observed in the H.T. soy group
compared with the control group suggests an inhibition in prostate cancer
cell growth," the authors stated.

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Meat + Poultry - April 2005

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