SOY & HEART HEALTH
Index
- Introduction
- Effects of Soyfoods on Circulating Lipid Levels
- Beyond Effects on Lipid Levels
- Practical Implications
- References
Prepared by Mark Messina, PhD
In 2006, an estimated 16.8 million Americans were affected by coronary heart disease (CHD), which includes heart attack and angina pectoris. Also, in 2006, approximately 424,892 Americans died of CHD, which represents about 20 percent of all deaths in the United States, making CHD the number one killer of Americans.1
FDA-Approved Health Claim for Soy:
25 grams of soy protein per day, as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol, may reduce the risk of heart disease.
The number of deaths divided approximately evenly between men and women, although the average age of a person having a first heart attack is 64.5 for men and 70.3 for women. Finally, it is estimated that, in 2009, 785,000 Americans will have a new coronary attack, 470,000 will suffer a recurrent attack and an additional 195,000 will have a silent first heart attack.2
Despite these grim statistics, CHD death rates decreased by a remarkable 59 percent between 1950 and 1999, and by 33 percent between 1994 and 2004. While much of this decrease is due to improved medical treatment, the etiology of CHD is determined to a great extent by risk factors that can easily be modified through lifestyle changes.
An analysis of three large prospective cohort studies found that about 90 percent of CHD patients have at least one of the following risk factors:3
- High total blood cholesterol levels (≥240 mg/dl or 6.22 mmol/l) or current treatment with cholesterol-lowering drugs
- Hypertension (systolic blood pressure ≥140 mm Hg or diastolic blood pressure ≥90 mm Hg) or current treatment with blood pressure-lowering drugs
- Current cigarette use
- Clinical report of diabetes
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