Soy-based supplement may lower cardiac risk

Last Updated: 2007-08-29 12:30:12 -0400 (Reuters Health)

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Daily supplements of genistein, a naturally occurring compound found in soy, combined with calcium, and vitamin D, as well as a healthy diet, may help prevent heart disease and help regulate blood sugar in postmenopausal women with bone loss, study findings suggest.

Professor Francesco Squadrito, University of Messina, Italy and colleagues assessed the effects genistein on cardiovascular disease risk factors in nearly 400 healthy women, average age of about 54 years, who went through menopause at about age 49.

The women followed identical, fat-restricted diets and avoided eating any soy products for 4-weeks prior to beginning the supplements, study researchers report in the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism. Furthermore, study participants were not using hormone replacement therapy commonly prescribed to prevent bone loss in postmenopausal women.

The researchers randomly assigned about half the women to take daily supplements of 54 mg of purified genistein and the other half to take identically appearing placebo supplements. All the supplements contained 500 mg calcium carbonate and 400 IU vitamin D per tablet. The women continued the healthy diet throughout the 2-year study duration.

After comparing pre-supplement laboratory values for cardiovascular disease risk factors with values obtained after 12 and 24 months of study participation, Squadrito and colleagues report that the combination of genistein, calcium, vitamin D, and a healthy diet had positive therapeutic effects on some predictors for heart disease.

Their findings also suggest that genistein may have a positive effect on the metabolism of blood sugar and, therefore, may help prevent the development of diabetes.

By contrast, the researchers found no difference in cholesterol levels between the women taking genistein supplements or placebo.

These findings suggest that genistein supplements may help prevent the development of coronary artery disease in postmenopausal women with bone loss. However, the researchers stress that additional clinical studies are necessary to confirm these findings.

SOURCE: The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, August 2007.