Women's risk for cardiovascular disease increases after menopause, in part because levels of risk factors including homocysteine and excess body iron, tend to rise.
In this study (Hanson L, Engleman H, American Journal of Clinical Nutrition), researchers looked at the effect of soy protein, specifically soy's isoflavones and phytate, on CVD risk factors in 55 postmenopausal women. To do so, they randomly assigned the women to 1 of 4 soy protein (40 grams per day) groups: soy containing both its native phytate and native isoflavones, native phytate but low isoflavone, low phytate and native isoflavone, or low phytate and low isoflavone.
After just 6 weeks, women in the groups given soy protein with its native phytate had significant reductions in homocysteine and excess iron concentrations. Soy protein with native isoflavones had no effect.
Most interesting about this study is the fact that the phytate in soy, a compound which, because of its mineral-binding effects, has sometimes been considered problematic, that is responsible for some of the CVD-protective effects soy offers postmenopausal women. Once again, Mother Nature appears to have good reason for all the compounds found in whole foods.