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No link between sperm and soy. Healthy weight important for male fertility Recent claims of a link between the consumption of soy foods and sperm concentration are incorrect according to a leading Australian dietitian who has reiterated the importance of soy foods in the diet of Australian men. A small study by Dr Jorge Chavarro, published in the Journal of Human Reproduction found that a group of men consuming half a portion of soy food a day experienced reduced sperm concentration. However, Dr Chavarro admitted that the lower sperm concentration could be put down to the fact that 72% of the men in the trial were overweight or obese. Men with high levels of fat produce more oestrogen than their slimmer counterparts. With less than 100 subjects, the study was also very small and did not acknowledge the large normal variation in sperm counts, which can fluctuate widely from day to day and seasonally in all men. Accredited Practising Dietitian Michelle McCracken from the Sanitarium Nutrition Service said the trial did not find a direct connection between soy intake in men and reduced fertility. "This study found no relationship between soy foods and total sperm count and a range of other important measures of sperm quality and male fertility. It also failed to determine how factors such as other foods, medications, environmental influences or existing medical conditions may have affected a drop in sperm concentration," she said. "Dr Chavarro found that men with the highest soy intake produced more ejaculate fluid volume with equivalent sperm count as those with lower intakes, and this larger volume lead to the lower sperm concentrations in higher intake individuals. This watering-down effect of sperm concentration should not be mistakenly associated with a decrease in fertility." Ms McCracken said this type of observational study is unreliable in pinpointing a cause of any results and that the findings should be considered with caution. "This is the first study to find a correlation between soy intake and reduced sperm concentration. Other research on soy in men has not found a negative impact on male hormones, but rather has suggested a preventive effect in prostate cancer," she said. "Asian populations have long consumed diets with much higher concentrations of soy foods than those consumed by the men in the study without signs of reduced fertility," said Ms McCracken. Ms McCracken said that if any conclusion can be drawn, it is the importance of men maintaining a healthy weight, and that soy foods are an important part of a balanced diet. "Sanitarium recommends men continue to follow the Australian Dietary Guidelines that promote a diet based on a wide variety of foods, including plenty of fruits, vegetables and legumes such as soybeans and other soy foods," she said. - ENDS - For further information or an interview with Trish Guy or another Accredited Practising Dietitian, please contact:
Jackie Crossman or Liz Welshman
About Sanitarium
About Credible Research SOY MORE THAN FIVE TIMES A WEEK DRAMATICALLY REDUCES RISK OF STROKE, HEART ATTACK IN WOMEN Women who regularly consume soy foods drastically reduce their chances of having a fatal heart attack or stroke, according to a new 12-year study of more than 40,000 Japanese men and women published in the United States journal Circulation. The research, conducted by a Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare team, found women having soy foods more than five times a week were 70 percent less likely to suffer a heart attack or stroke compared to those having it less than three times a week. Post-menopausal women with high soy consumption were even less likely to succumb to heart attack or stroke. However there were no indications that regular consumption of soy had the same effect for men. Accredited Practising Dietitian, Michelle McCracken, from the Sanitarium Nutrition Service, said the research findings should encourage more Australian women to include soy foods, like tofu and soymilk, in their daily diet to improve their health and wellbeing and help protect against heart disease. "This new, large, high quality study from Japan is one of the first to investigate the association of soy foods in the diet and risk of heart attack and stroke over a long period of time. Its findings show soy foods can play an important role in preventing cardiovascular disease, the largest cause of death in Australia," she said. Ms McCracken said several studies have demonstrated that soy foods, which are naturally high in soy protein and protective isoflavones, can have a positive impact on cardiovascular risk factors, for example by reducing cholesterol and blood pressure and helping to relax blood vessels. "The inclusion of one to two servings of soy foods, such as soymilk on your cereal or in a smoothie, or tofu in your stir-fry for dinner, is a good step forward in managing cholesterol levels and promoting good heart health," Ms McCracken said. Commencing in 1990, the study periodically tracked soy consumption amongst 40,462 men and women aged from 40 to 59 years with no history or heart attack or stroke - ENDS - For further information contact Jackie Crossman, Crossman Communications, 0402 218 662 Sanitarium Dietitian Says Stick With Soy - 8 July, 2008 Australia's leading health food company Sanitarium says that recent research findings claiming a connection between phytoestrogens in soy foods and impaired memory performance in elderly people should be interpreted with caution and have reinforced the importance of soy foods and beverages in a healthy, balanced diet. In the study published in the Journal of Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders, elderly Indonesian men and women who regularly ate tofu scored lower on tests of memory. However, the researchers also found that consumption of tempeh, a fermented soy product that is also rich in phytoestrogens, was associated with better memory performance. The authors speculated that conflicting results for the connection to memory performance between the soy products may have been due to differences in the way the two different soy foods are made. Accredited Practising Dietitian Trish Guy from the Sanitarium Nutrition Service said that the outcomes of this study are not only inconsistent, but also at odds with a large existing body of research. "Human clinical studies have in fact found that high soy diets are associated with improvements in tests of recall, attention, cognitive function and verbal memory in post-menopausal women and young adults," said Ms Guy. In addition, large population studies have found that there is a lower incidence of dementia in people living in East Asian countries, where soy foods are a staple, compared to people living in countries where soy is traditionally not regularly included. Unlike high quality long term prospective studies, the trial did not evaluate the intake of foods over an extended period of time, nor did it reference the difference in risk of memory loss for those that ate soy foods compared with those that didn't. Due to these limitations of the study and the generalised nature of the results, Ms Guy said the research findings should be interpreted with caution. "In continually reviewing research from the world's recognised experts in soy and soy health benefits, it is clear that the weight of scientific evidence demonstrates that soy is safe and beneficial to include in the diet," said Ms Guy. "Sanitarium recommends people continue to follow the Australian Dietary Guidelines that promote a diet based on a wide variety of foods, including fruits, vegetables, wholegrains and legumes such as soybeans and other soy foods," she said. For further information or interviews, please contact: About Sanitarium Healthy Bones Week, Australia, August 2004: New research shows soy prevents bone loss According to Dr Kenneth Setchell, co-investigator of the study and member of the International Soy Advisory Board, "With increasing controversy associated with hormone replacement therapy - until recently hailed as an effective way to reduce bone loss associated with menopause - this is fantastic news for women who want to ensure they and their bones stay healthy." The research, to be published in the European Journal of Nutrition this month, examined for the first time the long-term effects on bone density of consuming soy milk. It found that two glasses a day of soy milk with naturally occurring levels of isoflavones had a significant effect in preventing bone loss in post-menopausal women. The effect seen was independent of intake of calcium and other important vitamins and minerals for bone, which were also supplemented. Sue Radd, Accredited Practising Dietitian and Australasian member of the International Soy Advisory Board, advises "Soy offers significant health benefits for all Australians. While this latest study looks at post-menopausal women, recent research suggests that the maximum benefit of soy and isoflavones may be obtained when it is included in the diet early and lifelong as it is traditionally consumed in Asia." "Many people believe that calcium is the only way to ensure healthy bones. While an adequate intake is important, clearly calcium does not provide the complete solution to protecting us against osteoporosis. It is important to remember other nutrition and lifestyle factors that can help protect your bones - including regular exercise, adequate intake of vitamins K and D, avoiding cigarette smoke and limiting your intake of salt and caffeine - as well as considering more green vegetables, soya beans and soy foods," said Ms Radd. So, to celebrate Healthy Bones Week 2004, raise a glass or two of soy each day as part of a healthy, active lifestyle and enjoy good strong bone health. For further information on soy and its benefits for health, visit www.soyfacts.co.nz -Ends- Issued on behalf of the International Soy Advisory Board, an independent body convened by the Sanitarium Health Food Company to review the latest research into soy and isoflavones and to advise on the use of soy in fostering good health and nutrition. Background Information on HRT Study abstract Soy Recipe - Swiss Soy Muesli World Health Experts Affirm Soy Health Benefits SOY FOODS & HEALTH ADVISORY MEETING, LOS ANGELES: Soy protein rich foods, when consumed each day as part of a healthy lifestyle, can reduce the risk of heart attack by 15 to 20 per cent, according to leading world experts on soy foods who met in Los Angeles this week to review the latest scientific research on soy and health. Dr James Anderson, Professor of Medical and Clinical Nutrition at the University of Kentucky, USA, said the cholesterol lowering effects of soy foods remain significant and may contribute to reducing total cholesterol levels by five or six per cent in both men and women. "The British Journal of Nutrition1 this month published a review article by the internationally esteemed cardiologist Professor Cesare Sirtori affirming over 10 years of research claiming the heart health benefits of soy foods," said Dr Anderson. "Other studies show it takes just two serves of soy protein rich foods each day as part of a healthy lifestyle to reduce the risk of heart attack in men and women by as much as 20 per cent," he said. Cardiovascular disease is the largest cause of death in Australia (36 per cent) and is a leading cause of disability. Furthermore, 3.5 million Australians suffer from one or more long-term cardiovascular conditions2. Australia's representative at the meeting, nutritionist and co-author of the internationally published book 'Eat To Live', Sue Radd, said soy protein is proven to reduce bad LDL cholesterol and triglycerides while significantly raising the protective HDL cholesterol. "A portfolio of foods and natural plant ingredients including soy, nuts, soluble fibres from oats, oat bran and barley, and plant sterols collectively reduce cholesterol even better than adding a single cholesterol lowering food to your diet," said Ms Radd. "We find we achieve cholesterol-lowering effects of 20 to 25 per cent in our motivated clients, with soy foods playing a significant role in preventing heart disease and increasing heart health," she said. "Two serves of soy protein rich foods could include any combination of soy milk on breakfast cereal, a soy burger at lunch, a soy smoothie or yoghurt mid-afternoon and/or tofu in a stir fry in the evening." Soy is a nature's superfood, rich in important nutrients. It also contains no cholesterol or animal fat, is low in saturated fat, high in fibre (in the case of soya beans) and carbohydrates. Dr David Jenkins, Physician and Professor of Nutritional Sciences and Medicine at the University of Toronto, Canada, said soy, when consumed as an essential part of a portfolio of other cholesterol lowering food types, can achieve similar results as the early statin drugs under the right conditions. "These drugs can lower cholesterol by up to 30 per cent. Even if you are only half way successful with the food portfolio approach and get only a 15 per cent reduction, this is still a spectacular result," said Dr Jenkins. Dr Anderson said everyone can experience the health benefits of increasing soy protein foods in their diets. "Heart health benefits are available to healthy men and women who want to maintain their wellbeing as well as to patients facing the onset of heart disease," said Dr Anderson. Sue Radd is a consultant and nutrition advisor to Sanitarium Health Food Company on soy and other plant foods. Released on behalf of Sanitarium Health Food Company by Crossman Communications. For more information, or an interview with Sue Radd, please contact: Leading international soy expert, Kenneth Setchell, Professor of Paediatrics at the Department of Pathology at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Centre in the USA, will be available for interview in Sydney on Wednesday 18 April. REFERENCES:
New Eco-Atkins Diet Makes High Fat, High Protein Meals Heart-Healthy New Research from the Father of GI Presenting at the 5th International Congress on Vegetarian Nutrition in California, Dr David Jenkins said research into the new Eco-Atkins diet will be welcome news to millions of people around the world who prefer a high protein dietary approach because of the increased fullness they experience but have been put off by concerns about the cholesterol raising effect of fatty, meat-rich Atkins-style meals. The University of Toronto nutrition scientist said that while high protein diets, including Australia's CSIRO Total Health and Wellbeing Diet, are effective at bringing down weight, most increase bad LDL cholesterol if there is a high fat content from meat. "Raised levels of LDL cholesterol are a strong risk marker for heart disease and a problem even for slim people consuming lots of meat," he said. The Canadian study of 44 overweight people with a high blood cholesterol level was initially conducted for four weeks with all food provided. Half the subjects followed the Eco-Atkins diet, comprising 43% fat and 30% protein, with the remainder eating a low-fat vegetarian diet to compare the effect of different levels of protein and fat from plant foods. While people in both groups lost around 4kg, those on the Eco-Atkins diet reduced their LDL cholesterol by around 20% compared to the low-fat dieters whose cholesterol dropped by only about 10%. After careful dietary instruction, 23 of the dieters went on to trial their eating plans for a further six months under real-life conditions. Those on the Eco-Atkins diet lost a further 2kg and their LDL cholesterol stayed 5-6% below baseline, a remarkable finding considering the high levels of fat and protein in their diet. Dr Jenkins said that while the Eco-Atkins diet may not be everyone's cup of tea it also offers many environmental advantages compared to popular high protein diets where up to 1kg of meat can be eaten each week. "Even if meat-rich diets were healthy and health professionals didn't have concerns about a potentially increased risk of bowel cancer, it would not be possible to feed a large proportion of our planet on such a diet," Dr Jenkins said. "The bottom line is you can have your cake and eat it too as long as it is made from heart healthy plant proteins and fats. The Eco-Atkins Diet is a diet to take to heart," he said. Sanitarium environmental expert, Greg Gambrill, said the methane produced by Australia's cattle and sheep has more impact than the emissions from all coal-fired power stations in Australia.1 "In just under five years the total dietary emissions from the meat of a family of four on the CSIRO Total Health and Wellbeing Diet will exceed those from building and running a large four-wheel drive vehicle2 ," Mr Gambrill said. "The difference between 14 serves of red meat a week as recommended by the CSIRO diet, and no serves is 5.7 tonnes of methane emissions annually3 ," he said. Dr Gambrill said dairy and beef production are the highest major water users in Australia.4 "It takes thousands more litres of water to produce a kilo of beef than it does to grow the same quantity of grains or vegetables5 ," he said.
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