[969] in Vegetarian_Support_Group
On soya protein - excerpt from http://www.fitnessworld.com/fitnews/news.html
daemon@ATHENA.MIT.EDU (Arthur Lobo)
Thu Jul 4 13:27:28 1996
Date: Thu, 04 Jul 96 13:24:30 -0700
From: Arthur Lobo <apl@max.tiac.net>
To: vsg@MIT.EDU
> --------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Your up-to-date source of news reports
> on research & events in health and fitness.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------
> (May 20, 1996)
>
> Eat your tofu! -- It may be good for the heart
>
> For any carnivores who scoff at the idea of eating fake "meat" like
> tempeh burgers and tofu hot dogs, consider the report published in
> the New England Journal of Medicine (August 3, 1995) which states
> that soy proteins, commonly found in meat substitutes and vegetarian
> diets, encourage significant reductions in low-density lipoprotein
> cholesterol (LDL), commonly known as "bad cholesterol."
>
> The Journal's review of the data derived from 38 separate studies
> with a total of more than 740 subjects, shows that the consumption
> of soy protein (averaging 47g per day), rather than animal proteins,
> resulted in significant reductions in the serum concentrations of
> total cholesteral (9.3 percent), as well as LDL cholesterol (12.9
> percent) and triglycerides (10.5 percent). Concentrations of HDL
> cholesterol, "the good cholesterol," were not significantly changed.
>
> Although similar results have been shown in studies using laboratory
> animals, the 38 studies analyzed in the Journal represent the first
> data linking vegetable protein (in place of animal protein) to a
> lower risk of coronary heart disease.
>
> The studies involved two types of widely used commercial products:
> isolated soy protein, which is more than 90 percent protein; and
> textured soy protein, which is approximately 50 percent protein. Soy
> protein can be found in products such as soy milk, soy flour, tofu
> and meat substitutes.
>
> Don't look for the medical community to officially recommend
> increasing your soy consumption as a means of reducing the risk of
> heart disease right away, however. Researchers are still studying
> how much soy protein is needed to reduce cholesterol and how soy
> protein works in conjunction with other lipid-lowering dietary
> alterations. Further investigations, according to an editorial in
> the Journal, are focusing on ways to incorporate soy protein into
> baked foods, drinks, soups and entrees.
>
> For those who still associate soy protein with the poor-tasting meat
> substitutes that were initially developed several decades ago,
> consider taking another taste. Many soy and tofu products are
> currently receiving high marks from mainstream consumers.
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------
Arthur Lobo
apl@max.tiac.net
