NHLBI Grant Funds Study to Identify Active Ingredients in Soybeans
With a $2.4 million grant from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI), researchers at Wake Forest University School of Medicine have begun a five-year study to identify the active ingredients in soybeans thought to protect against cardiovascular disease and cancer.
Previous research at Wake Forest indicates that soy phytoestrogens may protect against cardiovascular disease and hormone-related cancers in postmenopausal female monkeys. This new NHLBI-funded study will focus on adult male monkeys to determine if they, too, experience similar health benefits.
Investigators will attempt to determine the most beneficial ratio and doses of two isoflavones: genistein and daidzein. Researcher have long believed that genistein, found predominantly in the outer casing of soybeans, is the active ingredient responsible for soy’s cardio-protective benefits. However, evidence from Wake Forest suggests instead that daidzein, found predominantly in the soybean germ, may be of more importance to cardiovascular health.
In a parallel pilot study also conducted at Wake Forest, researchers will examine soy’s ability to reduce the risk of prostate cancer in 160 men. The premise behind this study originates from the same dietary and epidemiological observations that led researchers to investigate the role of soy and breast cancer risk—a lower incidence of hormone-related cancers in Asian countries with high levels of soy consumption.
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