> ## Content Index
> Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.foodconsumer.org/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further.

# Eating soy foods may prevent heart disease
- URL: https://www.foodconsumer.org/soy_foods_may_prevent_heart_disease_0907120659/
- Published: 2012-09-07T07:58:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-22T16:20:52.000Z
- Description: Among 377 Chinese coronary heart disease patients and 753 controls in Shanghai, total urinary isoflavonoids showed no link to the disease, but women with the highest urinary equol, a soy isoflavone metabolite, were 54% less likely to have it. The authors call the finding a first.
- Author: Food Consumer
- Tags: Food, Nutrition, #vivvo-import

By David Liu, PHD

Friday Sept 7, 2012 ([foodconsumer.org](http://www.foodconsumer.org/)) -- Eating soy foods or taking soy isoflavone supplements may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD), according to a study in the International Journal of Epidemiology.

The study led by X. Zhang of Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, Nashville, TN and colleagues found equol, a metabolite of soy isoflavone daidzein was found lower in the samples of urine from those who were diagnosed with coronary heart disease.

Soy is one of the major protein source for Asians. Soy foods such as tofu, miso and soy milk are commonly used in Asia and they are believed to be beneficial against heart disease and cancer.

For the study, Zhang et al. tested urinary isoflavonoids, a biomarker of soy or soy isoflavone intake in 377 patients with coronary heart disease and 753 controls with the medical condition, all participants from two prosective cohort studies of Chinese adults in Shanghai. 

The researchers found total urinary isoflavonoids including daidzein, genistein, glycitein, equol, O-desmethylangolensin, dihydrodaidzein and dihydrogenistein were not correlated with coronary heart disease in either men nor women. 

However, urinary levels of equol, a metabolite of soy food was inversely correlated with the disease in women. Women with the highest level of equol in their urine were 54 percent less likely to develop coronary heart disease.

The researchers concluded "Our study suggests for the first time that equol, a bioactive metabolite of soy isoflavone daidzein, may be inversely associated with risk of CHD in women."