Study Finds Soy Nuts Lower Blood Pressure

Soy nuts may reduce blood pressure in postmenopausal women, a small study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine concludes.
The randomized crossover study included 60 women. It investigated the effects of including unsalted soy nuts containing 25 g of soy protein in the National Cholesterol Education Program's Therapeutic Lifestyle Changes diet.
Compared with a diet without the nuts, adding soy nuts lowered systolic BP 9.9% and diastolic BP 6.8% in hypertensive women. The decline was a more modest 5.2% systolic and 2.9% diastolic in normotensive women.
The diet with nuts also lowered LDL 11% and apolipoprotein B 8% in hypertensive women but had no effect on these measures in normotensive women.
The authors said dietary soy "may be a practical, safe and inexpensive modality to reduce BP." They characterize the results as being "comparable with those seen with antihypertensive drugs."