Could Soy Help Lower Your Blood Pressure?

SUNDAY, March 25 (HealthDay News) -- Isoflavones -- a compound found in foods such as soy milk, green tea, tofu and peanuts -- may help lower blood pressure in young adults, new research suggests.

The researchers also found that isoflavones may be of particular benefit for black American adults, nearly 42 percent of whom are estimated to have high blood pressure, also known as hypertension.

One expert not connected to the study said there is reason to believe that isoflavones could help the heart.

Isoflavones "dilate the vessels by increasing the release of nitric oxide," explained Dr. Suzanne Steinbaum, director of women and heart disease at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. She said the new study, "brings to light a compelling dietary recommendation that can help control hypertension in younger patients."

In the new study, investigators examined data from more than 5,000 participants in a major study funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health.

The analysis revealed that those who consumed the highest amounts of isoflavones per day (more than 2.5 milligrams

Let’s drink to lower stroke incidence in women

ACSH has long advocated the heath benefits associated with moderate alcohol consumption. Now a new review of data from the Nurses’ Health Study, published in the journal Stroke, finds that one drink a day may lower a woman’s risk of stroke.
 
After tracking the health of over 80,000 women between 1980 and 2006, researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston found that, compared to teetotalers, women who consumed half a glass to a glass and a half of wine daily had about a 20 percent reduced risk of stroke. The benefit was the same for ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke, and the analysis accounted for risk factors such as age, smoking, hormone use, aspirin use, hypertension, and history of atrial fibrillation.

“In addition to potentially lowering the risk of heart disease, it seems that moderate alcohol consumption is also beneficial in reducing women’s stroke risk,” says ACSH's Dr. Gilbert Ross. “The American Heart Association recommends no more than one to two drinks daily for men and one drink per day for women. Too much alcohol, however, raises the risk of cardiovascular disease.”