SOY AND CHOLESTEROL REDUCTION - CLINICAL-EXPERIENCE

A role of vegetable proteins in reducing coronary artery disease risk was postulated as long ago as 1909 in Russia by Ignatowski. The protei n hypothesis of atherosclerosis was pursued by many investigators, who studied the possible role of animal vs. vegetable protein in modifyin g concentrations of plasma lipids and thus cardiovascular disease risk . Over the past 20 y, our research group has examined the potential of a diet based on vegetable protein (in most cases, textured vegetable protein, or TVP) to modify plasma lipid concentrations. Textured produ cts allow administration of a large percentage of protein (up to 50-60 % in the product) and are available in a variety of food items. We stu died > 1000 patients. An extensive review of the literature indicates that similar findings have been reported by others when administering TVP or TVP-like items to subjects with well-characterized hypercholest erolemia (Fredrickson type II). Data are less consistent for treatment of patients with marginal hypercholesterolemia or hypercholesterolemi a already corrected by a standard diet before administration of soy pr oducts. The TVP diet, is, however, effective when normolipidemic indiv iduals are made hypercholesterolemic by dietary cholesterol administra tion. These and other findings suggest that, in man, similar to experi mental animals, soy protein may in some way up-regulate LDL receptors depressed by hypercholesterolemia or by dietary cholesterol administra tion.