Ari Babaknia, M.D., founder and CEO of DrSoy Nutrition, LLC, spoke to physicians and residents on So(y)lution to Menopausal Health

Dr. Ari Babaknia, Clinical Associate Professor, Dept. of OB/GYN, University of California, Irvine spoke to the OB/GYN practicing physicians and residents on September 7, 2006 about the benefits of using soy to enhance menopausal health. He discussed the evidence in medical literature that supports the use of this non-hormonal nutrition therapy as an alternative to traditional hormone replacement therapy.

Dr. Babaknia is the founder and CEO of DrSoy Nutrition, a company dedicated to developing a line of soy-based foods that contain specific amounts of soy protein containing isoflavones, a compound found in plants that bind to the same receptor sites as estrogen. Clinical research has confirmed the health benefits of soy in all diets, but research supports the theory that soy may be particularly beneficial as a replacement to traditional hormone therapy for women in menopause.

For more than 60 years, dietary soy protein has been recognized to have cardioprotective effects by retarding the progression of atherosclerosis. Clinical studies have also shown results that indicated that soy protein in place of animal protein in the diet significantly reduced total cholesterol. In fact, soy’s heart health benefits appear to extend beyond its lipid-lowering effects by not only improving arterial wall compliance, but in reducing LDL oxidation and decreasing blood pressure in hypertensive patients.

Furthermore, clinical trails to date on the role of soy phytoestrogen in postmenopausal women suggest favorable results in improving bone health and reducing hot flashes.

Based on the FDA’s soy heart health claim and results of several clinical trials, 25 grams of soy protein per day can provide many of the health benefits of soy.