Association of blood pressure with intake of soy products and other food groups in Japanese men and women

Background Soy diet has been suggested to have antihypertensive effect in animal studies. The present study examined the cross-sectional relationship between blood pressure and intake of soy products and other food groups in Japanese men and women. Methods Blood pressure was measured in Japanese 294 men and 330 women (246 premenopausal and 84 peri- and postmenopausal women) who participated in a health check-up program provided by a general hospital. Intake of various food groups and nutrients was estimated from a validated semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire. Results In men, soy product intake was inversely significantly correlated with diastolic blood pressure (r = −0.12, P = 0.04) after controlling for age, total energy, smoking status, body mass index, and intake of alcohol, salt and seaweeds. The correlation of soy product intake with systolic blood pressure was of borderline significance (r = −0.10, P = 0.09). Systolic blood pressure was inversely correlated with intake of vegetables (r = −0.12, P = 0.04) and dairy products (r = −0.12, P = 0.05). There were no significant correlations between soy product intake and diastolic blood pressure in women. Conclusion These results indicate a mild effect of soy intake on blood pressure reduction in men.