Soy Nuts and Cardiovascular Risk in Postmenopausal Women

The present study examines the effect of a whole soy food, soy nuts (dry roasted soybeans), added to the Therapeutic Lifestyle Change diet on blood pressure, lipids, inflammation and menopausal symptoms in postmenopausal hypertensive and normotensive women in a randomized crossover trial during an 8-week period. We sought to determine whether dietary soy had an additional benefit to the currently recommended heart healthy diet.

Inclusion criteria

• Women with absence of menses for at least 12 months or irregular periods and hot flashes.

Exclusion criteria

• were current cigarette smoking or smoking in the previous year;
• clinical coronary artery disease, peripheral artery disease, or cerebrovascular disease;
• known diabetes mellitus or a fasting glucose level of 126 mg/dL or greater;
• a history of breast cancer; a fasting triglyceride level greater than 400 mg/dL; systolic BP of 165 mm Hg or greater or diastolic BP of 100 mm Hg or greater;
• untreated hypothyroidism; systemic or endocrine disease known to affect lipid, mineral, or bone metabolism;
• and consumption of more than 21 alcoholic drinks per week.
• Use of lipid-lowering drugs, hormone therapy, medications for osteoporosis, and soy products was discontinued for 2 months before entering the study. Participants took a multivitamin but no additional vitamin or mineral supplements or other soy products during the study.