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Soy products shown to benefit cholesterol

Category: Heart Health and Cholesterol

Individuals who have received unhealthy cholesterol test results may be able to bring those numbers back in line without turning to expensive medications.

A new study published in the Journal of Clinical Epidemiology has found that drinking soy milk and consuming other soy products may help individuals lower their total cholesterol without decreasing their levels of the beneficial HDL cholesterol.

Individuals who researchers assigned to eat a diet containing soy products for a period of four weeks were able to reduce their total cholesterol levels by up to 7.4 percent. Furthermore, non-HDL levels - (which include the harmful LDL and triglycerides) - fell by more than 10 percent.

The researchers wrote in their report that soy products may be an effective way for individuals to get protein in their diets without turning to foods that may increase their cholesterol levels. Given the fact that so many people in the U.S. suffer from heart disease, the findings could benefit millions of people. Heart disease is currently the leading cause of death in the country.