title: Effect of soy on metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular risk factors: a randomized controlled trial.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Cardiovascular diseases are currently the commonest cause of death worldwide. Different strategies for their primary prevention have been planned, taking into account the main known risk factors, which include an atherogenic lipid profile and visceral fat excess.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study was designed as a randomized, parallel, single-center study with a nutritional intervention duration of 12 weeks. Whole soy foods corresponding to 30 g/day soy protein were given in substitution of animal foods containing the same protein amount.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Soy nutritional intervention resulted in a reduction in the number of MetS features in 13/26 subjects. Moreover, in the soy group we observed a significant improvement of median percentage changes for body weight (-1.5 %) and BMI (-1.5 %), as well as for atherogenic lipid markers, namely TC (-4.85 %), LDL-C (-5.25 %), non-HDL-C (-7.14 %) and apoB (-14.8 %). Since the majority of the studied variables were strongly correlated, three factors were identified which explained the majority (52 %) of the total variance in the whole data set. Among them, factor 1, which loaded lipid and adipose variables, explained the 22 % of total variance, showing a statistically significant difference between treatment arms (p = 0.002).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The inclusion of whole soy foods (corresponding to 30 g/day protein) in a lipid-lowering diet significantly improved a relevant set of biomarkers associated with cardiovascular risk.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Scienze Farmacologiche e Biomolecolari, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy. massimiliano.ruscica@unimi.it.
authors.forename: Massimiliano
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-0195-7061
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ruscica
authors.affiliation: Centro Grossi Paoletti, Dipartimento di Scienze Farmacologiche e Biomolecolari, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Chiara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pavanello
authors.affiliation: Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, European Institute of Oncology, 20146, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gandini
authors.affiliation: Centro Grossi Paoletti, Dipartimento di Scienze Farmacologiche e Biomolecolari, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Monica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gomaraschi
authors.affiliation: Centro Grossi Paoletti, Dipartimento di Scienze Farmacologiche e Biomolecolari, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Cecilia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Vitali
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Scienze Farmacologiche e Biomolecolari, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Chiara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Macchi
authors.affiliation: Centro Dislipidemie, A.S.S.T. Grande Ospedale Metropolitano Niguarda, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Beatrice
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Morlotti
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Scienze Farmaceutiche, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Gilda
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Aiello
authors.affiliation: Centro Dislipidemie, A.S.S.T. Grande Ospedale Metropolitano Niguarda, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Raffaella
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bosisio
authors.affiliation: Centro Grossi Paoletti, Dipartimento di Scienze Farmacologiche e Biomolecolari, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Laura
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Calabresi
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Scienze Farmaceutiche, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Arnoldi
authors.affiliation: Centro Dislipidemie, A.S.S.T. Grande Ospedale Metropolitano Niguarda, Milan, Italy.
authors.forename: Cesare R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Sirtori
authors.affiliation: Centro Grossi Paoletti, Dipartimento di Scienze Farmacologiche e Biomolecolari, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy. paolo.magni@unimi.it.
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Magni
mesh_terms: D050154:Adiposity; D000368:Aged; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL / Q000097:blood; D015331:Cohort Studies; D018752:Diet, Fat-Restricted; D050171:Dyslipidemias / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications / Q000178:diet therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D055951:Functional Food; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D008875:Middle Aged; D050177:Overweight / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications / Q000178:diet therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D012307:Risk Factors; D045730:Soy Foods; D055105:Waist Circumference; D015431:Weight Loss
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; D008078:Cholesterol, LDL; D002784:Cholesterol
keywords: Lipids; Metabolic syndrome and obesity; Soy protein