Effects of Intake of Soy and Non-Soy Legume on Serum HDL-Cholesterol Levels

Abstract

High-density lipoprotein (HDL) has been shown to have a variety of functions that contribute to anti-atherogenesis. Here we review meta-analyses on the effects of intake of soy protein and isoflavones on serum HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C) levels, and we would also review meta-analysis on the effects of intake of non-soy legume on serum HDL-C, to make “Dietary Reference Intake for Japanese 2020”. We searched meta-analyses of randomized, placebo-controlled trials. A search was conducted by using PubMed, Embase and Google Scholar, with the following keywords: soy and HDL and meta-analysis. The search period was comprised from 2007 up to July 2018. We found three meta-analyses about effects of intake of soy protein and isoflavones on HDL-C after 2007. All meta-analyses reported that intake of soy protein and isoflavones was associated with a significant increase of HDL-C. We found the meta-analysis which evaluated effects of intake of non-soy legume on HDL-C, in which a significant association of intake of non-soy legume with HDL-C was not obtained due to a significant heterogeneity of collected data. In conclusion, intake of soy was significantly associated with elevation of HDL-C; however, non-soy consumption was not associated with a significant increase of HDL. J Endocrinol Metab. 2018;8(5):83-86 doi: https://doi.org/10.14740/jem524w