Soy diet worsens heart disease in male mice -study

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Heart conditions became worse in
male mice carrying a genetic mutation for heart disease when
they were fed a soy diet, a study published on Wednesday
showed.

Male mice carrying the mutation for hypertrophic
cardiomyopathy or HCM, were severely affected by the soy diet,
showing enlarged heart muscles and eventual heart failure,
according to the University of Colorado at Boulder study
published in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.

HCM is the leading cause of death in young athletes and
affects about one in 500 people. Eighteen genes associated with
the disease have been identified, according to University of
Colorado professor Leslie Leinwand.

Soy foods and diet supplements are perceived to be a huge
health benefit to humans. Consumers spent an estimated $4.7
billion on them in 2005.

“We were shocked by the results,” said Leinwand, noting
that when the mice in the study were switched to a diet of a
milk protein their condition improved markedly.

Female mice carrying the mutation for HCM were relatively
unaffected by the soy diet, according to the study. That led
the Colorado research team to believe that heart deterioration
in male mice was due at least in part to plant-based estrogens
in the soy food diet.

“To our knowledge this is the first report of significant
differences in cardiac muscle adaptation due to dietary
manipulation,” researchers wrote.

Leinwand said: “I don’t think normal, healthy people should
be alarmed by the results of this study.

“But we are seeing more cautionary reactions from the
medical community in recent years regarding the ingestion of
huge quantities of dietary supplements, including soy
phytoestrogens.”