Eat soy protein to control cholesterol

Reported by Susan Aldridge, PhD, medical journalist

Consumption of soy protein lowers total cholesterol and has a good impact on cholesterol profile overall.
Soy protein has been recommended as a useful food for heart health. Now this idea is underlined by researchers at Tulane University. They analyzed 41 studies on the effect of isolated soy protein on blood cholesterol. These covered nearly 2,000 adults. The study revealed that soy protein helps to lower both total cholesterol and low density lipoprotein (LDL, or 'bad') cholesterol, whilst increasing levels of high density lipoprotein (HDL, or 'good') cholesterol.

In practical terms, this means replacing foods high in saturated fat, trans-saturated fat and cholesterol, with soy foods like tofu or soy milk. So, for example, you could replace a regular burger with one based on soy protein and do the same for other meat products.

Source
American Journal of Cardiology September 2006

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