Research suggests that eating tofu and other soy-based foods may improve heart health.
New research suggests that eating tofu and other soy-based foods may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease.
The findings, which feature in the journal Circulation, give more information on the health benefits of “isoflavones,” a type of compound that occurs naturally in some plant-based foods. Soy-based foods, such as tofu, are rich in isoflavones.
In 1999, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved labeling on soy-based products that stated that eating soy-based foods reduced the risk of coronary heart disease. However, since the approval, studies on the health benefits of soy-based foods have shown mixed results.
As a consequence, in 2007, the FDA announced that they would be reviewing the evidence on soy-based foods and heart health. In 2017, they proposed revoking the health claim that soy-based foods reduce heart disease, given the conflicting evidence that their review found.
The present study intervenes in this debate, hoping to provide more information on the relative benefit of soy-based foods for heart health.
Gaining a more detailed understanding of nutrition and heart health is important because, as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) note, “Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States.”
The evidence for the value of a plant-based diet that is high in fiber and low in salt, sugar, and saturated and trans-fats is clear. Indeed, the Department of Health & Human Services list primarily plant-based foods in their dietary recommendations.
However, understanding precisely how and why specific food sources contribute to overall health is important so that clinicians can help people develop an eating plan that works best for them.
The study drew on data from three separate studies that included a total of 168,474 women and 42,226 men, and eac