A daily serving of soy appears to help postmenopausal women avoid gaining fat around the middle, a common occurrence after menopause, reports Reuters Health of a study from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
For the location of soy based foods, consult your grocer or use the web, there are tons of soy foods available.
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The study: Led by Dr. Cynthia K. Sites, the small study included just 18 women. All were in their 50s and had been menopausal for one to five years. Half were randomly assigned to consume either a soy-based shake or a milk-based shake containing the protein casein once a day for three months. Specifically, they drank half of it at breakfast and the other half at dinner. They were told to substitute the shake for other foods in their diet to prevent weight gain.
The results: Even though both groups showed similar changes in weight and body fat, the women who consumed the soy beverage tended to gain less abdominal fat than those who consumed the milkshake.
Why? Soy contains something called isoflavones, which are structurally similar to estrogen. The soy isoflavones work by binding to estrogen receptors in fat tissue, so it’s actually possible they could help regulate body fat metabolism. This is the first study to show that soy protein could impact abdominal fat distribution. Still, the researchers aren’t sure why the soy protein affects belly fat in particular.
Reducing excess abdominal fat is an important health measure, since it is linked to higher risks of diabetes and heart disease.
The study findings were reported in the medical journal Fertility and Sterility.
–From the Editors at Netscape