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Soy food consumption does not lower LDL cholesterol in either equol or nonequol producers^1,2,3

¹ From the Australian Technology Network Centre for Metabolic Fitness and Nutritional Physiology Research Centre, University of South Australia, South Australia, Australia (AAT, PRCH, AMC, and JDB); the Discipline of Physiology, University of Adelaide, South Australia, Australia (AAT); the School of Medicine and Pharmacology, University of Western Australia, Western Australia, Australia (TAM, JH, and JM); and the School of Health Sciences and Smart Foods Centre, University of Wollongong, Australia (BJM)

Background:Health claims link soy protein (SP) consumption, through plasma cholesterol reduction, to a decreased risk of heart disease. Soy isoflavones (ISOs), particularly in individuals who produce equol, might also contribute to lipid lowering and thus reduce SP requirements.

Objective:The objective was to examine the contributions of SP, ISOs, and equol to the hypocholesterolemic effects of soy foods.

Design:Nonsoy consumers (33 men, 58 women) with a plasma total cholesterol (TChol) concentration >5.5 mmol/L participated in a double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover intervention trial. The subjects consumed 3 diets for 6 wk each in random order, which consisted of foods providing a daily dose of 1) 24 g SP and 70–80 mg ISOs (diet S); 2) 12 g SP, 12 g dairy protein (DP), and 70–80 mg ISOs (diet SD); and 3) 24 g DP without ISOs (diet D). Fasting plasma TChol, LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, and triglycerides (TGs) were measured after each diet.

Results:TChol was 3% lower with the S diet (–0.17 ± 0.06 mmol/L; P < 0.05) than with the D diet, and TGs were 4% lower with both the S (–0.14 ± 0.05 mmol/L; P < 0.05) and SD (–0.12 ± 0.05 mmol/L; P < 0.05) diets. There were no significant effects on LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, or the TChol:HDL cholesterol ratio. On the basis of urinary ISOs, 30 subjects were equol producers. Lipids were not affected significantly by equol production.

Conclusions:Regular consumption of foods providing 24 g SP/d from ISOs had no significant effect on plasma LDL cholesterol in mildly hypercholesterolemic subjects, regardless of equol-producing status.