Soy reduces cholesterol and blood sugar levels, aiding weight loss:-

Soy may prove much more beneficial than your general assumptions. Soy proves helpful in losing weight , reducing cholestrol and blood sugar levels besides being helpful in weight loss ,says a study published in the journal of the American College of Nutrition.

A quick trip through the health-food section of any grocery will reveal several labels touting soy content, but most of the people do not know much about soy beyond a vague idea that it is a healthy food.

"The bottom line is soy is healthy, and while incorporating it into weight loss may not have a more dramatic effect on your waistline than other nutrition plans, its benefits go beyond weight loss toward increasing overall health, saidJames Anderson,the renowned nutrition and weight-loss expert, and University of Kentucky physician and researcher professor of medicine and clinical nutrition, UK College of Medicine, and director, UK Metabolic Research Group, also the director of the Obesity Research Network, a nationwide network of physicians and scientists recognized for their work in the treatment of obesity.

In one of his articles, Anderson reports on his investigation into the effectiveness of soy in adult weight loss. Meal replacements, including powders, drinks and energy bars, are popular weight loss tools.

During the research, he tested two commercially available meal replacements ' one soy-based, and one milk based ' in a group of obese adults for twelve weeks. Both groups lost weight.

It was found the soy-based group lost slightly more weight in any given week, and displayed lower serum cholesterol and LDL cholesterol levels. Soy intake also produced small but significant reductions in serum glucose values. This evidence suggests that soy may be a valuable tool in maintaining overall health, lowering cholesterol, and even slowing the development of diabetes.