Eating a diet high in soy helps postmenopausal women have good heart health and prevent atherosclerosis (the loss of elasticity in the arteries due to sclerosis), according to the results of a study published in the medical journal Menopause. But this particular diet must be started before menopause.
Researchers at the Wake Forest School of Medicine conducted a study to understand the effects of a diet high in soybeans on symptoms of menopause.
They carried out an experiment with monkeys fed animal protein or soy protein with a high isoflavone content before and after “surgical menopause”. After this operation, the guinea pigs were followed for three years by scientists. A first group extended their diet rich in soybeans, a second switched from animal proteins to soybeans. The third group continued to eat conventionally.
Soy isoflavones should be consumed throughout life
The results of the study reveal that monkeys fed soy before and after artificial menopause have normal levels of cholesterol.
If the group of primates that changed their diet after the menopause improves his cholesterol level significantly, he still has a progression of atheromatous plaques in the arteries.
In contrast, monkeys fed soybeans for life are less likely to develop atherosclerosis.
“Soy isoflavones are therefore very favorable to the heart health of women after menopause, but on condition of very early intake after menopause, when arterial plaques are still underdeveloped, ”concludes the researchers, authors of the study.