Soy Consumption Reduces Risk of Ischemic Stroke: A Case-Control Study in Southern China

Background: Experimental studies have suggested that soybean products may protect against ischemic stroke, but only limited epidemiological evidence is available. Objective: Our aim was to investigate the relationship between soy food consumption and the risk of ischemic stroke among the Chinese population. Methods: A case-control study was conducted in southern China during 2007-2008. Soy food consumption, dietary intake and lifestyle information were obtained from 374 incident ischemic stroke patients and 464 hospital-based controls. Logistic regression analyses were performed to assess the association between soy food intake and the ischemic stroke risk. Results: The mean weekly soy food intake was significantly lower (p = 0.001) among cases (89.9, SD = 239.3 g) than control subjects (267.7, SD = 426.1 g). Increased consumptions of dried soybean, tofu, soy-milk and total soy foods were associated with reduced risks of ischemic stroke after adjusting for confounding factors. The corresponding adjusted odds ratios for the highest versus lowest level (<50 g) of intake were 0.20 (95% confidence interval = 0.09-0.48), 0.56 (0.36-0.89), 0.18 (0.06-0.51) and 0.23 (0.14-0.39), with significant dose-response relationships observed. Conclusion : The results provided evidence of inverse association between habitual soy food consumption and the risk of ischemic stroke for Chinese adults. Copyright (C) 2009 S. Karger AG, Basel