Soy protein and hyperlipidemia
Hyperlipidemia is the condition of abnormally elevated levels of lipids in the bloodstream. These lipids include cholesterol, cholesterol esters, phospholipids and triglycerides. Previous research have shown that soy protein reduces triglycerides by 12% compared to animal protein. Retinoic acid is a metabolite of vitamin A and plays an important role in lipid metabolism. It binds to retinoic acid receptors and modulates pathways associated with many types of carcinogenesis. Retinoids are used as treatment for certain types of cancer but have serious side effects, such as the induction of hypertriglyceridemia. Soy protein isolate has been shown to reduce the severity of retinoic acid induced hypertriglyceridemia in rats.The study concluded that dietary soy protein may reduce retinoid-induced hypertriglyceridemia by affecting hepatic retinoic acid receptor beta2 protein content and retinoic acid receptor beta DNA binding activity.
Source: Dietary soy protein isolate modifies hepatic retinoic acid receptor-beta proteins and inhibits their DNA binding activity in rats. Journal of Nutrition. 2007 Jan;137(1):1-6.