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Effect of soy on metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular risk factors: a randomized controlled trial

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Abstract

Background

Cardiovascular diseases are currently the commonest cause of death worldwide. Different strategies for their primary prevention have been planned, taking into account the main known risk factors, which include an atherogenic lipid profile and visceral fat excess.

Methods

The study was designed as a randomized, parallel, single-center study with a nutritional intervention duration of 12 weeks. Whole soy foods corresponding to 30 g/day soy protein were given in substitution of animal foods containing the same protein amount.

Results

Soy nutritional intervention resulted in a reduction in the number of MetS features in 13/26 subjects. Moreover, in the soy group we observed a significant improvement of median percentage changes for body weight (−1.5 %) and BMI (−1.5 %), as well as for atherogenic lipid markers, namely TC (−4.85 %), LDL-C (−5.25 %), non-HDL-C (−7.14 %) and apoB (−14.8 %). Since the majority of the studied variables were strongly correlated, three factors were identified which explained the majority (52 %) of the total variance in the whole data set. Among them, factor 1, which loaded lipid and adipose variables, explained the 22 % of total variance, showing a statistically significant difference between treatment arms (p = 0.002).

Conclusions

The inclusion of whole soy foods (corresponding to 30 g/day protein) in a lipid-lowering diet significantly improved a relevant set of biomarkers associated with cardiovascular risk.

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Abbreviations

apoB:

Apolipoprotein B

apoA-I:

Apolipoprotein A-I

BMI:

Body mass index

BIA:

Bioelectrical impedance analysis

CRP:

High-sensitivity C-reactive protein

CVD:

Cardiovascular diseases

DBP:

Diastolic blood pressure

FPG:

Fasting plasma glucose

HC:

Hip circumference

HDL-C:

High-density lipoprotein cholesterol

HOMA:

Homeostatic model assessment

HR:

Heart rate

LDL-C:

Low-density lipoprotein cholesterol

Lp(a):

Lipoprotein (a)

N:

Number

PCSK9:

Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin 9

SBP:

Systolic blood pressure

sICAM-1:

Soluble intercellular adhesion molecular 1

TC:

Total cholesterol

TG:

Triglycerides

VFR:

Visceral fat rating

WC:

Waist circumference

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Acknowledgments

This study has been supported by an unrestricted grant to Centro Dislipidemie (A.S.S.T. Grande Ospedale Metropolitano Niguarda, Milano, Italy) from the Alpro Foundation (Gent, Belgium). The founding sponsors had no role in the design of the study; in the collection, analyses, or interpretation of data; in the writing of the manuscript; and in the decision to publish the results.

Author contributions

MR wrote the paper and performed ELISA experiments; PM wrote the paper and coordinated the study; AA, LC and CS conceived the study and critically revised the manuscript; CP selected the patients and acted as clinical monitor; SG performed all the statistical analyses; BM and CM performed biochemical analysis; MG and CV performed analysis on HDL; GA performed isoflavones analysis; and RB was the dietician. All authors reviewed the results and approved the final version of the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dipartimento di Scienze Farmacologiche e Biomolecolari, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy

    Massimiliano Ruscica & Chiara Macchi

  2. Centro Grossi Paoletti, Dipartimento di Scienze Farmacologiche e Biomolecolari, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy

    Chiara Pavanello, Monica Gomaraschi, Cecilia Vitali, Laura Calabresi & Paolo Magni

  3. Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, European Institute of Oncology, 20146, Milan, Italy

    Sara Gandini

  4. Centro Dislipidemie, A.S.S.T. Grande Ospedale Metropolitano Niguarda, Milan, Italy

    Beatrice Morlotti, Raffaella Bosisio & Cesare R. Sirtori

  5. Dipartimento di Scienze Farmaceutiche, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy

    Gilda Aiello & Anna Arnoldi

Authors
  1. Massimiliano Ruscica
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  2. Chiara Pavanello
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  3. Sara Gandini
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Correspondence to Massimiliano Ruscica or Paolo Magni.

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Ruscica, M., Pavanello, C., Gandini, S. et al. Effect of soy on metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular risk factors: a randomized controlled trial. Eur J Nutr 57, 499–511 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00394-016-1333-7

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