Is Soy a Natural Remedy for High Cholesterol?

"There's a slow poison out there that's severely damaging our children and threatening to tear apart our culture. The ironic part is, it's a "health food," one of our most popular."

It's always important to separate fact from opinion. The above quote, written about soy products, is pure opinion. For the rest of this article we will be dealing with only facts.

"25 grams of soy protein a day, as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol, may reduce the risk of heart disease."

It may be less arresting than the opening quote, but the information contained inside is based upon a number of detailed studies made into the health benefits of soy supplementation. Since that statement was made, more research has been done that indicates soy proteins make an excellent natural remedy for high cholesterol treatment. Some more facts about soy:

• Soy, rather than being a "new-age" supplement, is a staple food in many Asian countries, and has been for centuries.
• Soy contains valuable constituents for high cholesterol treatment, including protein, isoflavones, saponins, and phytosterols.
• Soy protein provides essential amino acids.
• When eaten with rice, soy provides protein comparable with that found in animal products.
• Soy is low in fat and cholesterol-free.

In fact, the health benefits of soy, particularly in the treatment of high cholesterol, are rarely disputed anymore. Most research done now into the use of soy as a natural remedy for high cholesterol is aimed at discovering exactly why it works so well. A good summary of current thinking can be found here.

Intake of soy proteins can be a natural remedy for high cholesterol treatment because soy proteins can bring down bad cholesterol (LDL) levels, and promotes good cholesterol (HDL) levels. LDL and HDL are the lipoproteins that carry of cholesterol to cells. LDL is referred to as bad cholesterol because it causes plaque deposits in arteries and HDL is called good cholesterol because it prevents the built up of fat deposits in the arteries.

Soy can be found in soymilk, tofu, roasted soy nuts, and soy flour. All of these can be used in a low cholesterol diet to help in the treatment of hypercholesterolemia (high cholesterol). These foods can also prevent atherosclerosis, a disease associated with high cholesterol, and that can lead to increased risk of heart attack, heart disease, and stroke. Daily dosages of 30-40 grams of soy have been seen to reduce cholesterol levels by between 10 and 20%, making it an effective high cholesterol treatment by any stretch of the imagination.A few people have hailed soy as a "miracle health food" that can treat any number of diseases, not just high cholesterol. This is, like the opening quote, only an opinion - and totally unnecessary. Soy supplements can be judged on their results, and all the research points to them being an effective treatment for high cholesterol.