Soy isoflavones ehance artery function in stroke patients

A new study examines how a certain naturally-occurring component of soy may enhance the function of arteries in stroke patients.

Published recently in the European Heart Journal by researchers at the University of Hong Kong, the evaluation found that a diet rich in soy beans and soy isoflavones boosts artery health. Isoflavones are natural compounds found in soy that, although different from the hormone estrogen, do exert a mild estrogen-like effect under certain conditions.

The researchers recruited 102 stroke patients, randomly assigned daily intake of 80mg soy isoflavones supplements to 50 patients and gave a placebo to the remainder for 12 weeks. The study found that the participants who consumed soy isoflavones had a significant increase in flow-mediated dilation, the measure of the ability of blood vessels to relax.