Evidence Supports the Use of Soy Protein to Promote Cardiometabolic Health and Muscle Development

Abstract

Consumption of adequate amounts of dietary protein can help individuals maintain a healthy body composition, especially when combined with resistance exercise and during weight loss. It is well established that dietary protein intake supports muscle development and helps reduce loss of lean body mass during weight loss. Numerous studies have demonstrated the efficacy of soy protein intake for promoting fat loss while preserving muscle mass and supporting lean body mass gains. In fact, soy protein and animal-based proteins both support weight loss and weight maintenance equally as part of an energy-restricted diet; however, soy protein offers additional cardiometabolic advantages. Key teaching points: Soy protein is a high-quality, plant-based protein that can be consumed throughout the life span. More human clinical studies have been conducted to assess the cholesterol-lowering effects of soy protein than any other cholesterol-lowering food ingredient. Ingestion of proteins with unique and complementary characteristics like soy, whey, and casein helps resistance-trained individuals achieve significant muscle growth. Recent research supports the efficacy of consuming a combination of soy, whey, and casein after resistance exercise to extend the time period that muscle building occurs.

Effects of consuming a high‐protein diet with or without soy protein during weight loss and maintenance: a non‐inferiority, randomized clinical efficacy trial

“…The regular consumption of soy protein has been associated with improvements in cardiometabolic health associated with blood lipids and blood pressure . Although no statistical differences in any of the cardiometabolic outcomes were observed between the soy and non‐soy groups (Table ), there was a trend towards superior improvements in CRP – an inflammatory biomarker of cardiovascular disease risk – in the soy group at the end of M4.…”

“…This finding may be especially relevant for vegetarians who may find it difficult to consume enough protein to meet the daily recommended intake of 0.8 g·kg·d and especially that of a high-protein diet (1.2-1.6 g·kg·d) (30,31). The regular consumption of soy protein has been associated with improvements in cardiometabolic health associated with blood lipids and blood pressure (12,32). Although no statistical differences in any of the cardiometabolic outcomes were observed between the soy and non-soy groups (Table 4), there was a trend towards superior improvements in CRPan inflammatory biomarker of cardiovascular disease risk (33)in the soy group at the end of M4.…”

“…Soy foods are a uniquely rich source of high quality protein and bioactive plant compounds that have been studied for their association with cardiometabolic health ranging from improvements in blood lipid profiles to preferential reductions in body fat (12)(13)(14)(15). Short-term studies have also found that soy proteins elicit similar satiety and appetiterelated hormone responses as animal-based proteins (6), which supports the potential role of consuming soy proteins as part of a HP diet for weight loss.…”

Comparing isolated soy protein with flaxseed oil vs isolated soy protein with corn oil and wheat flour with corn oil consumption on muscle catabolism, liver function, blood lipid, and sugar in burn patients: a randomized clinical trial

“…A number of studies have reported on ISP in other clinical conditions. For instance, an improvement in whole-body nitrogen balance and lean body mass has been reported by a large number of investigators [ 19 , 37 – 40 ]. However, we believe that more evidence from future well designed RCTs on the benefits of suitable dietary intervention on burn patients is needed to corroborate our findings.…”

An embryo lethal transgenic line manifests global expression changes and elevated protein/oil ratios in heterozygous soybean plants

“…Thus, soy is a major source of animal feed. Soybean protein can also be consumed directly by humans (as in tofu or protein powders) and may have health benefits such as lowering cholesterol [5]. Soy protein is frequently found as an additive in a wide variety of other human foods such as bakery products and processed meats due to its favorable industrial qualities, which include the ability to increase protein without adding fat and to retain moisture and texture; additionally, soy protein is generally easy to digest and contains all essential amino acids for humans [6].…”