Recently, it was shown that substituting soy nuts for nonsoy protein in a therapeutic lifestyle change (TLC) diet lowered systolic and diastolic blood pressure by 9.9% and 6.8%, respectively, in postmenopausal women with hypertension and by 5.2% and 2.9%, respectively, in normotensive postmenopausal women. In this study, to examine mechanisms for these reductions, markers of inflammation were measured, including soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule-1, soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1, C-reactive protein, interleukin-6, and matrix metalloproteinase-9. Sixty healthy postmenopausal women (48 normotensive and 12 with hypertension) were randomized in a crossover design to a TLC diet alone or a TLC diet in which 0.5 cups of soy nuts (25 g soy protein and 101 mg aglycone isoflavones) replaced 25 g of nonsoy protein daily. Each diet was followed for 8 weeks. Compared with the TLC diet alone, levels of soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 were significantly lower on the soy diet in women with hypertension (623.6 +/- 153.8 vs 553.8 +/- 114.4 ng/ml, respectively, p = 0.003), whereas no significant differences were observed in normotensive women. Soy nuts were associated with a trend toward reduction in C-reactive protein in normotensive women. No effect on levels of soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1, interleukin-6, or matrix metalloproteinase-9 was observed. In conclusion, the reduction in soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 with soy nuts in women with hypertension suggests an improvement in endothelial function that may reflect an overall improvement in the underlying inflammatory process underlying atherosclerosis.
Welty FK, Nasca MM, Lew NS, Gregoire S, and Ruan Y
The American journal of cardiology [Am J Cardiol] 2007 Jul 01; Vol. 100 (1), pp. 73-5. Date of Electronic Publication: 2007 May 11.
Subjects
Adult, Aged, Ambulatory Care, Body Mass Index, Coronary Disease prevention control, Diet, Carbohydrate-Restricted, Diet, Fat-Restricted, Diet, Sodium-Restricted, Exercise Therapy, Female, Follow-Up Studies, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Obesity diet therapy, Treatment Outcome, Dietetics, Directive Counseling, Lipids blood, Obesity therapy, and Weight Loss
Abstract
We examined the effect of an outpatient office-based diet and exercise counseling program on weight loss and lipid levels with an onsite dietitian who sees patients at the same visit with the physician and is fully reimbursable. Eighty overweight or obese patients (average age 55 +/- 12 years, baseline body mass index 30.1 +/- 6.4 kg/m(2)) with > or =1 cardiovascular risk factor (86%) or coronary heart disease (14%) were counseled to exercise 30 minutes/day and eat a modified Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet (saturated fat <7%, polyunsaturated fat to 10%, monounsaturated fat to 18%, low in glycemic index and sodium and high in fiber, low-fat dairy products, fruits, and vegetables). Weight, body mass index, lipid levels, and blood pressure were measured at 1 concurrent follow-up visit with the dietitian and physician and > or =1 additional follow-up with the physician. Maximum weight lost was an average of 5.6% (10.8 lb) at a mean follow-up of 1.75 years. Sixty-four (81%) of these patients maintained significant weight loss (average weight loss 5.3%) at a mean follow-up of 2.6 years. Average decrease in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol was 9.3%, average decrease in triglycerides was 34%, and average increase in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol was 9.6%. Systolic blood pressure was lowered from 129 to 126 mm Hg (p = 0.21) and diastolic blood pressure from 79 to 75 mm Hg (p = 0.003). In conclusion, having a dietitian counsel patients concurrently with a physician in the outpatient setting is effective in achieving and maintaining weight loss and is fully reimbursable.