March/April 2006
HEALTH BYTES

Soy offers liver protection

A recent study found that a diet rich in soy protein helps protect against hepatic steatosis (fatty liver), a disease characterized by the accumulation of lipid-filled compartments within the liver's cells, and associated with the development of insulin resistance, liver enlargement and chronic liver disease. In the study, researchers fed a diet of soy protein diets to rats bred to develop diabetes and fatty liver. After 160 days on the diet, the rats did not show an accumulation of cholesterol and triglycerides in their livers. Researchers suggested that eating soy may help lower insulin resistance and its consequent damage to the liver and kidneys.