More evidence that soy foods may be good for the heart comes from an observational study in the journal Circulation that analyzed data collected from more than 200,000 people over 30 years.
Those whose diets included the most isoflavones—plant compounds abundant in soy that weakly mimic estrogen—were less likely to have a heart attack or die from coronary heart disease (CHD) than those who consumed the least. In addition, consuming one serving or more per week of tofu was linked to a lower risk of heart attack or CHD death, compared to eating tofu once a month or less.
The same association was not found for soy milk, however, possibly because soy milk may contain sugar, emulsifiers, and other constituents that might mask the protective effects of the isoflavones.
