The study, published recently in the European Heart Journal by researchers at the University of Hong Kong, found a diet rich in soybeans 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 a blood vessel's healthy ability to relax.