如果你的身体，出现了肥胖、高血压、异常胆固醇指数的现象，那么很可能就是身体健康即将出现问题的征兆，临床上这一类的症状，若再合并胰岛素抗性 (insulin resistance) 的问题，多半会被科学家，归类于新陈代谢症候群。最近由哈佛大学公共卫生学院(School of Public Health) 的科学家发表最新的一项研究结果显示，就实际的比对发现，若在日常的饮食中，摄取足量的大豆 (soy)，那么就可以有效的降低包括糖尿病心脏病的发生机会。
现代社会中的新陈代谢症候群有多严重呢 ?就国际相关卫生单位的统计，就工业化的国家来说，约有三成的人口，有着严重程度不一的新陈代谢症候群，因此光就美国地区，就有五千万至七千五百万潜在的病人口，而医疗单位的数据还发现新陈代谢症状群的患病人口，比起健康的人来说，提高了二至四倍罹患心脏病的比例，而就麻烦的糖尿病来说，发生的机率也高到九到三十倍，其它像是肾脏病、肝病、卵巢疾病或者睡眠障碍以及痴呆 (dementia)等，患病的机会也会增加许多。
据了解这次的研究计划，募集了罹患新陈代谢症候群的后更年期 (postmenopausal)妇女，尝试着利用大豆或是大豆仁 (soy nuts)，来治疗新陈代谢症候群的症状，结果研究人员发现，服用大豆类食物为主要蛋白质来源的族群，不但坏的胆固醇 (LDL)比例降低了，还明显的改善了胰岛素抗性的问题，科学家认为这很可能是大豆内富含不饱和脂肪酸 (polyunsaturated fat) 和丰富的异黄酮素(Isoflavones) 营养素所带来的效果。
(资料来源 : biocompare)
英文原文：
Harvard Study: Soy Counteracts Metabolic Syndrome
3/28/2007
Source: United Soybean Board
Obesity. High blood pressure. Abnormal cholesterol levels. Most of us intuitively recognize these as warning signs for health problems. Combine these risk factors in individuals with insulin resistance, however, and the cluster becomes metabolic syndrome -- a precursor to heart disease and type-2 diabetes. Now, new research co-authored by the Harvard University School of Public Health shows that adding soy to the diet may improve many problems associated with the metabolic syndrome above and beyond that of a healthy diet without soy.
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The study evaluated both soy protein and soy nut consumption among postmenopausal women living with metabolic syndrome. Soy protein and soy nuts each exhibited a beneficial effect on components of the syndrome, but soy nuts had the strongest impact, perhaps because they provided soy protein as well as polyunsaturated ("good") fat and contained a higher amount of soybean isoflavones.
How much should we worry about metabolic syndrome? The condition afflicts up to 30 percent of the industrialized world's population, and will likely affect 50 to 75 million Americans by the year 2010. Alarmingly, this syndrome increases risk of heart disease by two to four times that of the normal population, and increases risk of type-2 diabetes by nine to 30 times. Research also suggests the metabolic syndrome may play havoc with the kidneys, liver, ovaries, ability to sleep and even dementia.
Published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, the Harvard study, which was co-authored by researchers at Shaheed Beheshti University of Medical Sciences in Iran, used a randomized crossover design involving 42 Iranian postmenopausal women. All subjects consumed each of three different diets for eight week periods: a healthy diet that had previously been demonstrated to lower blood pressure, the same diet in which soy protein replaced the original protein source or the same diet in which soy nuts replaced the protein source.
The results showed that all three diets lowered LDL ("bad") cholesterol but the decreases were significantly greater in the diets containing soy. Even more impressive, the soy-containing diets markedly improved insulin resistance, a hallmark of the metabolic syndrome. In this case, soy nuts had a greater effect than soy protein.
Dr. Mark Messina, a nutritionist and noted soyfood expert, commented, "The results of this study confirm the well-recognized role of soyfoods in reducing cholesterol levels and provide new evidence that soyfoods can potentially help millions of individuals with the metabolic syndrome by improving insulin resistance."
About the United Soybean Board:
The United Soybean Board is a farmer-led organization comprised of 64 farmer-directors. USB oversees the investments of the soybean checkoff on behalf of all U.S. soybean farmers. For more soy and health information, please visit www.soyconnection.com.
CONTACT: Diana Steeble of United Soybean Board, +1-206-270-4637,diana.steeble@publicis-pr.com
Web site: http://www.soyconnection.com//
