Soy products may soon be touted as a new health resource given that they appear to play an important role in promoting heart and bone health, according to the April issue of the Journal of Nutrition.

This conclusion was presented at the 8th International Soy Symposium, which was held in Tokyo, and resulted from a comprehensive review of available medical literature.

Regarding heart health, studies have shown soy protein reduces total and LDL cholesterol by approximately 5 percent, which is associated with a reduction in the risk of heart disease from 10 to 15 percent.

“The cholesterol-lowering effects of soy protein are similar to those of soluble fiber and certainly relevant from a public health perspective,” says Dr. Mark Messina, author of the report and professor of nutrition at Loma Linda University.

“Integrating a variety of heart-healthy foods – like soy, beans, nuts and certain vegetables – together into a healthy lifestyle is really the best approach to heart health,” he adds.

Research presented at the symposium also offered hope that soyfoods promote bone health.

For example, an Italian study found women taking soy extract experienced an 8 to 9 percent increase in spinal and hip bone mineral density, whereas among women given a placebo, bone density decreased at those sites by an average of 10 percent.

The interest in the effects of soy on bone health stems from the low rate of hip fractures among Asians, a population known to have a high rate of soy consumption, according to the article.