Soy Nuts Shown to Battle High Blood Pressure

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.