burcon blog

As the Reuters Food and Agriculture Summit is underway in Chicago, IL, we’ve been seeing some interesting news from leaders of the food and commodity sector. Of note, James Borel, executive VP of DuPont, overseeing agriculture and nutrition businesses, says he expects soy supplements, primarily protein derived from soybeans, to see the strongest growth in 2012.

A new study indicates that postmenopausal women who consume a diet rich in soy protein reduces atherosclerosis by 16%. The reduction jumps to 68% for women who experienced menopause within the past five years.

This new study provides farther support that exercise plus nutrition is more effective than exercise alone for increasing lean weight and reducing resting blood pressure. A nutritional supplement of soy protein and carbohydrate was used as a post-exercise snack. The study included 52 participants.

Have you been pondering about which protein source is healthier for you? A recent study investigated the effects of soy protein and milk protein on cholesterol levels and found that soy protein lowers total and ‘bad’ LDL cholesterol significantly more than milk protein.

Don’t believe soy can reduce cholesterol? Well, here’s a study that says otherwise. A group of scientists led by renowned Canadian researcher, Dr. David Jenkins, have published a study investigating soy protein’s role in reducing serum cholesterol. They concluded that, “soy remains one of a few food components that reduces serum cholesterol (>4%) when added to the diet.”