homocysteine may be an independent risk factor for heart disease because homocysteine
may damage smooth muscle cells in the lining of your arteries or make them grow faster
(which could lead to arterial blockage) or may cause blood clots. Substituting soybeans for
high-protein foods from animals lowers homocysteine production.
Protective effects of omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3s appear to reduce the risk of heart attack. A
20-year project at the University of Leyden in the Netherlands, comparing the eating habits
of more than 800 men at risk of heart disease, found that men who ate more than an ounce
of fish a day had a 50 percent lower rate of heart attacks. Since then, a lengthening list of
studies has shown similar protection among men who eat fish at least two or three times a
week. One possible explanation is that omega-3s reduce triglyceride levels. Another is that
your body converts omega-3s to a compound similar to prostacyclin, a naturally occurring
chemical that inhibits the formation of blood clots.
Omega-3s also reduce the risk of “sudden death” heart attack. In the United States,
about 250,000 people die each year from sudden cardiac failure caused by ventricular fibril-
lation, an unexpectedly irregular heartbeat. A 1995 study from the Australian Common-
wealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (Adelaide), showed that laboratory
monkeys fed omega-3 oils from fish had a steady heartbeat when exposed to electrical
current twice as powerful as that which caused ventricular fibrillation in animals that did
not get the fish oils.
Omega-3s inhibit the production of leuketrienes, naturally occurring chemicals that
trigger inflammation. This may be beneficial to people with rheumatoid arthritis. In 1995,
the Arthritis Foundation published the results of a study by Piet Geusens at the Catholic
University in Pellenberg (Belgium) suggesting that patients who take omega-3 fatty acid
supplements along with their regular arthritis medications have improved pain relief. Previ-
ous studies had demonstrated the omega-3s ability to reduce inflammation, joint stiffness
and swelling.
Like isoflavones (see below), omega-3s may protect bone density. One 1997 study at
Purdue University (Indiana) demonstrated that animals fed increased amounts of the omega-
3 fatty acids formed new bone faster than animals fed a regular diet.
Potential protective effects of isoflavones. Soybeans are the most prominent source of iso-
flavones, plant compounds that mimic the effect of estrogen. The isoflavones in soybeans,
genistein and daidzein, appear to protect bone density, and in the January 2008 issue of
Menopause researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (Boston) report that a daid-
zein supplement may reduce the severity of menopausal hot flashes. However, earlier claims
that consuming soy isoflavones might protect against breast, ovarian, and uterine cancers
have not been proven.
As a source of carbohydrates for people with diabetes. Beans are digested very slowly, pro-
ducing only a gradual rise in blood-sugar levels. As a result, the body needs less insulin to
control blood sugar after eating beans than after eating some other high-carbohydrate foods
(bread or potato). In studies at the University of Kentucky, a bean, whole-grain, vegetable,
and fruit-rich diet developed at the University of Toronto and recommended by the Ameri-
can Diabetes Association enabled patients with type 1 diabetes (who do not produce any
Soybeans