Soy Reduces Belly Fat

A daily serving of soy may help postmenopausal
women avoid gaining fat around the middle,
preliminary research suggests.

In a study of 18 postmenopausal women, researchers
found that those who drank a soy-based shake every
day for three months tended to gain less abdominal
fat than those who had a milk-based shake.

Soy contains compounds called isoflavones that are
help to buffer the the hormone acid estrogen.

So in theory, soy isoflavones could help reduce the
amount of stored fat that binds to hormones like
estrogen.

The new findings appear to be the first to show that
soy protein may affect abdominal fat distribution,
according to the researchers, led by Dr. Cynthia K.
Sites of the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
They report the results in the medical journal
Fertility and Sterility.

The study included 18 women in their 50s who had been
menopausal for one to five years. Half were randomly
assigned to drink a soy-based shake each day, while
the rest were given a shake containing the milk
protein casein.

The women were told to drink half of a shake with
breakfast, and the other half with dinner, and to
substitute the daily drink for other foods in their
diet in order to avoid weight gain.

After three months, the researchers found, women who
drank the soy shake showed less of a gain in abdominal
fat, even though both groups showed similar changes
in weight and overall body fat.

It's not clear why soy protein might affect belly
fat in particular, according to Sites and her
colleagues.

"Whatever the mechanism," they write, "our data
suggest that soy protein containing isoflavones
may prevent the accumulation of fat in the abdominal
depot."

Because excess abdominal fat is especially related
to higher risks of symptoms associated with excess
acidity, such as diabetes and heart disease, limiting
the well-known middle-age spread is important. They
think larger, longer-term studies should continue
to investigate the potential of soy protein.

According to Dr. Robert O. Young, a research scientist
at the pH Miracle Living Center states, "organic sprouted
soy contains the highest concentrations of isoflavones.
Isoflavones are excellent buffers of dietary and
metabolic acids, especially hormones. I recommend
a low heat dehydrated organically sprouted soy, with
a 28 to 1 ratio. That means it takes 28 pounds of
soy sprouts to make 1 pound of finished concentrated
soy sprout powder. This soy sprout powder is great to
add to water or to a green shake. It is also a great
source of protein at 41% by volume. I recommend at
least 1 to 2 ounces a day of the concentrated soy
sprouts which would be the equivalent of eating 2 to
4 pounds of organic sprouts."

Resources:

Fertility and Sterility, December 2007
The pH Miracle Books