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 Middle aged and older men who ate the most fermented soy were about
10% less likely to die prematurely of all causes than men who rarely
ate these foods, the study found, while women who ate the most
fermented soy had an 11% lower risk of premature death.
Tofu, however, wasn't associated with longer life. And total soy
consumption didn't seem to impact longevity either.
"Fermented soy products such as miso and natto might have a
beneficial effect on longevity, but we need to pay attention to salt
contents, especially in miso," said Kayo Kurotani of the National
Institutes of Biomedical Innovation in Tokyo.
Natto, made from soybeans fermented with Bacillus subtilis, is often
served for breakfast in Japan. Miso - soybeans fermented with
Aspergillus oryzae - is often prepared as a paste and mixed into a
variety of Japanese sauces and soups.
These foods are staples of a traditional Japanese diet, along with
tofu, or soybean curd, and abura-age, or fried tofu, researchers
note in the The BMJ.
"We already realized potential effects of soy on health," Kurotani,
co-author of an editorial accompanying the study, said by email.
Soy is rich in protein, fiber and healthy unsaturated fats. Previous
research has linked soy to lower cholesterol and a lower risk of
heart disease. Past studies have also linked soy to a lower risk of
premature death, but results have been mixed and offered an unclear
picture of how much soy or what types of soy-based foods might make
the biggest difference.
More than 70% of deaths worldwide are caused by chronic diseases,
like heart disease, that are influenced by the way people eat, the
study team notes. So they wanted to see which forms of soy might
have the most potential to help people live longer.
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For the study, they followed almost 93,000 adults, ages 45 to 74,
for about 15 years, on average, to see how eating habits impacted
survival odds in general and the risk of cardiovascular diseases
specifically.
Natto, in particular, was associated with a lower risk of dying from
cardiovascular diseases. Men who ate the most natto were 24% less
likely than those who rarely ate it to die from cardiovascular
causes during the study, while women who ate lots of natto had a 21%
lower risk of dying from cardiovascular causes.
The connection between fermented soy and longevity persisted even
after researchers accounted for other aspects of people's diets,
like their vegetable consumption.
The study cannot prove fermented soy is the reason for the lowered
risk.
Still, study co-author Dr. Norie Sawada of the National Cancer
Center in Tokyo noted that eating fermented soy might be linked to
better overall health or longer life in part because it's associated
with lower blood pressure, lower cholesterol and lower body weight.
"In this large prospective study conducted in a country with a high
level of soy consumption, intake of fermented soy products,
including natto and miso, were significantly associated with reduced
all-cause mortality," Sawada said by email.
SOURCE: https://bit.ly/31yj9ym and https://bit.ly/2H6stA5 The BMJ,
online January 29, 2020.
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