Genistein can prevent heart disease

A regular intake of the soya-based supplement called genistein combined with calcium and vitamin D can help in preventing heart disease.Genistein is an isoflavone found in low concentrations in soya beans and elevated amounts in certain soya-derived food. It has received wide attention over the last few years because of its potential preventive role for cardiovascular disease. It is also said that genistein can have a positive effect on the metabolism of blood sugar and, therefore, may help prevent the development of diabetes. Combined with calcium and vitamin D, it can be especially beneficial for postmenopausal women.To assess the benefits of genistein, researchers at the University of Messina, in Italy studied 400 healthy women, with an average age of 54 years, who went through menopause at the age of 49. These women followed identical, fat-restricted diets and avoided eating any soya products for 4-weeks prior to beginning the supplements. Moreover, they also stopped using hormone replacement therapy commonly prescribed to prevent bone loss. Half of these women were assigned to take daily supplements of 54 mg of purified genistein. And the other half was given identical appearing placebo supplements. All the supplements contained 500 mg calcium carbonate and 400 IU vitamin D per tablet. The women continued the healthy diet throughout the 2-years of the study. Blood lipid profiles, fasting glucose and insulin, insulin resistance, fibrinogen, other markers and osteoprotegerin at baseline and after 12 and 24 months of treatment were measured.Compared with placebo, genistein significantly reduced fasting glucose and insulin as well as insulin resistance. The results indicated that the combination of genistein, calcium, vitamin D, and a healthy diet had positive therapeutic effects on some predictors for heart disease. However, cholesterol levels of women taking genistein supplements and placebo were the same. Thus, genistein supplements can help prevent the development of coronary artery disease in postmenopausal women with bone loss.