Soybeans can lower the blood bad cholesterol as much as drug statins!

Soybeans are high protein foods. Earlier studies showed that it can lower the bad cholesterol in the blood. And a new study confirming it adds that it’s effect could be equal to that of the medicine, statins for high blood cholesterol levels.

Soybeans and their nutritional facts

Soybeans are protein rich foods. The bean is a type of legume that is native to East Asia. These edible beans have a lot of nutrition and health benefits. Every 100 grams of these beans provide 446 calories. The total carbs are 30 grams while sugar is 7 and dietary fiber is 9 grams. The total fat is 20 grams and in this, saturated fats are 2.9 grams. There is no cholesterol in these beans. And the protein content is 36 grams.

Moreover, these edible beans contain just 2 mg of sodium and potassium is high at 1797 mg. This helps to lower blood pressure and is good for hypertensive individuals. Additionally, it contains lots of iron, magnesium and calcium. It also has vitamin B6 and vitamin C. Past research has revealed its potential to lower blood bad cholesterol. Adding soy to your daily diet or increasing the amount consumed daily helps.

The new research

There is now a new research in this direction that states that soybeans can have a cholesterol lowering action similar in amount to that of statins (medicine for bad cholesterol). This was a lab-based study that got published in the journal Antioxidants.

The scientists took 19 different types of these beans that had varying levels of the proteins, glycinin and B-conglycinin. The beans were powdered and defatted. And all the flour types were passed through a simulation that used fatty cells and mimicked digestion.

The two proteins did lower the cholesterol. The researchers then also assayed the amount of absorption of the bad or LDL cholesterol in each case. Dr. Elvira de Meji, professor of food science at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and one of the study author told Medical News Today:

“We measured several parameters associated with cholesterol and lipid metabolism and various other markers— proteins and enzymes—that positively or negatively affect lipid metabolism,”

The researchers also compared the cholesterol lowering of these beans with that of the medicine Simvastatin (brand name Zocor).

The findings

Further, Elvira enlightened:

“The digested soybeans’ peptides were able to reduce lipid accumulation by 50% to 70%, and that’s very important,”

“That was comparable to the statin, which reduced it by 60%.”

The article reads:

“The overall results suggests that the intake of selected soybean varieties might regulate cholesterol and LDL homeostasis and, consequently, foster the prevention of atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases.”

But Stephanie Wells, MS, RD cautions on this lab data:

“Since this was an in vitro study, we can’t be sure whether the same effects on LDL cholesterol would be seen in humans,”

Also, read Soybeans: 4 beneficial effects of their consumption on body!

She added:

“Since the soybeans were defatted, we can’t be sure whether the same effects on LDL cholesterol would be seen with consumption of whole soy foods, like edamame, tempeh, and soy curls, or minimally processed soy foods like tofu and soy milk—which have not had the fat removed,”

But overall, soybeans are a heart-healthy option due to their high protein, healthy fats, fiber and antioxidant content.