The American Heart Association has retreated precipitously from its previous strong endorsement of soy protein or isoflavones as beneficial in reducing cardiovascular risk factors.


In a scientific statement issued today, updating one published in 2000, the AHA no longer endorses as “prudent” the addition of soy protein to a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol.


In its new statement, the AHA said it found no benefit for soy protein or isoflavones in lowering LDL cholesterol, improving HDL or triglycerides, or lowering on blood pressure.


The AHA’s new scientific statement, which was published in the Jan. 24 issue of Circulation, Journal of the American Heart Association, is based on an analysis of data from 22 randomized clinical trials.


Nevertheless, the AHA said the jury is still out on the heart-healthy potential of soy food products like tofu, soy butter, soy nuts and soy burgers.


Hmmm... could it be that soy folks are just 'more healthier' than non-soy eaters? Do soy products attract the vegan/vegetarian/yupp-eater and that's what the scientists were seeing?

Travis? You're the anti-soy guy, whaddaya think?

Me and soy are cool! It's not that I think it's an amazing food and its def. not a complete protien strand, but the macros add up better than the foods I'd replace with soy. I don't eat soy for some heart health reason, thats why I do cardio.

Also, soy is Indiana's 2nd largest crop after corn :)

Not a big fan of soy at all. The body of research I've read suggests it's estrogenic and doesn't particularly have health benefits to boot. Not to mention, there are much better sources of protein. Soy in it's natural state is not too bad, like soy beans. I stay away from highly processed soy like soy protein powder and soy isolflavones. Not surprised that the mainstream is catching on.

They say soy doesn't have those particular health benefits. But - compared with what?

I wouldn't even have expected that just *adding* some soy to an existing average diet would have those particular benefits.

But, I still have two good reasons to eat it:

1. By getting *some* of my protein from soy, I improve the protein variety in my diet. None of the particular proteins I eat probably lower my LDL or do those other things. But so what. They are all jointly part of a balanced and varied diet. Now, if someone one day proved to me that there is a health benefit in eating ten portions of chicken instead of nine portions of chicken and one portion of tempeh, then I'll take notice.

2. There is moderate evidence that the phytoestrogens in foods like soy, flax seeds, etc may have some specific benefits (e.g. lowering the risk of various cancers). This is hypothesised to be due to soy's putative ability to compete with and reduce the effects of the body's estrogen.

Travis? You're the anti-soy guy, whaddaya think?

Why did the all-knowing and infallable AHA say that stuff in the first place then? Could it be that they actually have no idea what causes heart disease?

Why did the all-knowing and infallable AHA say that stuff in the first place then? Could it be that they actually have no idea what causes heart disease?

The AHA has got to release more and more 'research' even IF it contradicts their previous 'expert' opinions. Otherwise, they wouldn't get the media churn that helps fill the coffers.

Oh wait... Forget the citizen donations... Let's take a look at CORPORATE DONATIONS.

According to the group's 1999 annual report, it has received $1 million or more from some of the nation's largest pharmaceutical companies, including Bristol-Myers Squibb, Hoechst Marion Roussel, Novartis, Pfizer,
AstraZeneca, SmithKline Beecham -- and Genentech.

Say what?

More:

Merck is spending $400,000 to finance an AHA program teaching 40,000
doctors to treat cholesterol according to guidelines. (Wall Street
Journal, 6/14/98)

American Heart Association was paid $450,000 by the Florida grapefruit
growers for exclusive grapefruit use of the Association's
heart-healthy endorsement. (Phila. Inquirer, 5/7/97)

American Heart Association has received $1.1 million (and an annual
renewal potential of about $300,000) from food manufacturers as license fees to use the "heart check mark." (Philadelphia Inquirer, 5/7/97)

Old articles, I know... Imagine that cash the AHA is raking in from the corporations now! I wonder what kind of payoff the Atkins folks made to get the AHA to "look the other way" while Americans gorged themselves on bacon and fatty foods...

Check this, too:

AHA Corporate Contributors greater than $25,000 (partial list)

Adelphia Media Services
Aetna
Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, L.L.P.
American Airlines
Anchorage Daily News
Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield
Archer Daniels Midland Company
Arthur Andersen LLP
AstraZeneca LP
AT&T Broadband
Aventis Pharmaceuticals
Averitt Express Associate Charities
Bank One Trust
Bank of America
Bayer Corporation
Blue Cross and Blue Shield
Bristol-Myers Squibb Company
California Casualty
California Walnut Commission
Carolinas Hospital System
Centennial Medical Center
Clear Channel Communications
Conemaugh Health System
Conoco
Cox Communications
Dallas Business Journal
Diageo
Dominion
Duke University Health System
Ernst & Young LLP
Federal Express
Fidelity Investments
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Fox Memphis
Fox Sports Net
GE Medical Systems
General Mills, Inc.
General Motors
Genzyme Biosurgery
GlaxoSmithKline
HCA Hospitals
HealthAmerica
HealthSouth Corporation
Heinz Frozen Food Company
Highmark
Home Depot
Humana
Image III, Inc.
INOVA Health System
International Game Technology
John Hancock Financial
Jon Holden DeHaan Foundation
JPMorgan Chase
Kaiser Permanente
Kroger
Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network - Pennsylvania
LifeBridge Health
Mapco Express
Marriott International, Inc.
MasterCard International
MBNA America
Medical University of South Carolina
Medicine Shoppe International, Inc.
MedStar Health
Medtronic, Inc.
Mellon Financial Corporation
Mercedes-Benz, USA, LLC
Merck & Co., Inc.
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp.
Omron Healthcare, Inc.
OPI Products, Inc.
PacifiCare
Pantene
Partners Healthcare Systems
Pennzoil-Quaker State Company
Pfizer, Inc.
Philips Medical Systems
Procter & Gamble Company
Qantas Airways
Random House, Inc.
Redken 5th Avenue
Regal Cinemas
Regence Blue Shield
Safeway, Inc.
Sankyo Pharma
Sanofi-Synthelabo
Schering-Plough Corporation
Scios, Inc.
SETON Healthcare Network
Solvay Pharmaceuticals
Southwest Gas Corporation
Subway
Swedish Heart Institute
Takeda Pharmaceuticals
Target
Tenet HealthSystem
The Eli Lilly and Company Foundation
The Business Press
The Home Depot
The Delaware River and Bay Authority
Time Warner Cable
Trigon Blue Cross Blue Shield
TriStar Health System
Tyco International, Inc.
United Healthcare
University of Maryland Medical System
University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Verizon
Virginia Commonwealth University Health System
Walgreen Co.
Westlaw Public Records
Woodruff Health Sciences Center
Wyeth-Ayerst Pharmaceuticals

Good thing they're looking out for the 'little people'.

all I want to know is if soy causes man boobs :confused:

Naw, I though we discussed that in another thread. Are you asking because you WANT moobs? :lol:

:lol: Good stuff!

The AHA has got to release more and more 'research' even IF it contradicts their previous 'expert' opinions. Otherwise, they wouldn't get the media churn that helps fill the coffers.

Oh wait... Forget the citizen donations... Let's take a look at CORPORATE DONATIONS.

According to the group's 1999 annual report, it has received $1 million or more from some of the nation's largest pharmaceutical companies, including Bristol-Myers Squibb, Hoechst Marion Roussel, Novartis, Pfizer,
AstraZeneca, SmithKline Beecham -- and Genentech.

Say what?

More:

Merck is spending $400,000 to finance an AHA program teaching 40,000
doctors to treat cholesterol according to guidelines. (Wall Street
Journal, 6/14/98)

American Heart Association was paid $450,000 by the Florida grapefruit
growers for exclusive grapefruit use of the Association's
heart-healthy endorsement. (Phila. Inquirer, 5/7/97)

American Heart Association has received $1.1 million (and an annual
renewal potential of about $300,000) from food manufacturers as license fees to use the "heart check mark." (Philadelphia Inquirer, 5/7/97)

Old articles, I know... Imagine that cash the AHA is raking in from the corporations now! I wonder what kind of payoff the Atkins folks made to get the AHA to "look the other way" while Americans gorged themselves on bacon and fatty foods...

Check this, too:

AHA Corporate Contributors greater than $25,000 (partial list)

Adelphia Media Services
Aetna
Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer & Feld, L.L.P.
American Airlines
Anchorage Daily News
Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield
Archer Daniels Midland Company
Arthur Andersen LLP
AstraZeneca LP
AT&T Broadband
Aventis Pharmaceuticals
Averitt Express Associate Charities
Bank One Trust
Bank of America
Bayer Corporation
Blue Cross and Blue Shield
Bristol-Myers Squibb Company
California Casualty
California Walnut Commission
Carolinas Hospital System
Centennial Medical Center
Clear Channel Communications
Conemaugh Health System
Conoco
Cox Communications
Dallas Business Journal
Diageo
Dominion
Duke University Health System
Ernst & Young LLP
Federal Express
Fidelity Investments
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Fox Memphis
Fox Sports Net
GE Medical Systems
General Mills, Inc.
General Motors
Genzyme Biosurgery
GlaxoSmithKline
HCA Hospitals
HealthAmerica
HealthSouth Corporation
Heinz Frozen Food Company
Highmark
Home Depot
Humana
Image III, Inc.
INOVA Health System
International Game Technology
John Hancock Financial
Jon Holden DeHaan Foundation
JPMorgan Chase
Kaiser Permanente
Kroger
Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network - Pennsylvania
LifeBridge Health
Mapco Express
Marriott International, Inc.
MasterCard International
MBNA America
Medical University of South Carolina
Medicine Shoppe International, Inc.
MedStar Health
Medtronic, Inc.
Mellon Financial Corporation
Mercedes-Benz, USA, LLC
Merck & Co., Inc.
Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp.
Omron Healthcare, Inc.
OPI Products, Inc.
PacifiCare
Pantene
Partners Healthcare Systems
Pennzoil-Quaker State Company
Pfizer, Inc.
Philips Medical Systems
Procter & Gamble Company
Qantas Airways
Random House, Inc.
Redken 5th Avenue
Regal Cinemas
Regence Blue Shield
Safeway, Inc.
Sankyo Pharma
Sanofi-Synthelabo
Schering-Plough Corporation
Scios, Inc.
SETON Healthcare Network
Solvay Pharmaceuticals
Southwest Gas Corporation
Subway
Swedish Heart Institute
Takeda Pharmaceuticals
Target
Tenet HealthSystem
The Eli Lilly and Company Foundation
The Business Press
The Home Depot
The Delaware River and Bay Authority
Time Warner Cable
Trigon Blue Cross Blue Shield
TriStar Health System
Tyco International, Inc.
United Healthcare
University of Maryland Medical System
University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Verizon
Virginia Commonwealth University Health System
Walgreen Co.
Westlaw Public Records
Woodruff Health Sciences Center
Wyeth-Ayerst Pharmaceuticals

Good thing they're looking out for the 'little people'.