Soy products are high in minerals, fats, and fibers. But diet is one of the major determinants of non-communicable diseases in humans and causes more than 70% of deaths globally. The objective of this study is to evaluate the associations between the intake of soy or fermented soy products and all-cause and cause-specific mortality.
This is a population-based cohort study that was conducted in 11 public health center areas in Japan. It included 92,915 participants (42,750 men and 50,165 women) aged 45-74 years. All participants had a history of regular intake of total fermented or non-fermented soy products. The primary outcome was all-cause and cause-specific mortality.
13,303 deaths were identified during 14.8 years of follow-up, and none of them were significantly associated with the intake of soy products. The consumption of fermented soy products was inversely linked to all-cause mortality in both men and women. Researchers also found a negative association between soy foods intake and cardiovascular disease-related mortality.
The research concluded that a higher intake of fermented soy products was associated with a lower risk of all-cause and cause-specific mortality. No clear associations were established between the consumption of total soy products and all-cause mortality.
Ref: https://www.bmj.com/content/368/bmj.m34
