Iranian Journal of

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Background: Recently on the metabolic syndrome is considered as an inflammatory disease. So factors affecting inflammation are important in this condition.

Methods: This randomized cross-over clinical trial was undertaken on 42 postmenopausal women with metabolic syndrome. Participants were randomly assigned to consume a control diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension= DASH), soy protein diet, or soy nut diet, each for eight weeks. Inflammatory markers were measured by ELISA.

 Results: The difference from the control diet for E-selectin (an inflammatory markers which shows the endothelial function) was -11.4% (P<0.01) on the soy nut consumption and -4.7% (p=0.19) on the soy protein diets. Soy nut consumption reduced interleukin-18 compared to the control diet (difference from the control diet: -9.2%, p<0.01). For C-reactive protein the difference from the control diet was -8.9% (P<0.01) on the soy nut diet and -1.6% (P<0.01) on the soy protein diet.

Conclusion: Short-term soy nut consumption reduced some markers of inflammation and increased plasma nitric oxide levels in postmenopausal women with the metabolic syndrome.

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Background: Little evidence exists regarding the effects of soy consumption on the metabolic syndrome in humans. We aimed to determine the effects of soy consumption on components of the metabolic syndrome, plasma lipids, lipoproteins, insulin resistance and glycemic control in postmenopausal women with the metabolic syndrome.

Methods: This randomized cross-over clinical trial was undertaken on 42 postmenopausal women with the metabolic syndrome. Participants were randomly assigned to consume a control diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension= DASH), soy protein diet, or soy nut diet, each for eight weeks. Red meat in the DASH diet was replaced by soy protein in the soy protein period and by soy nut in the soy nut period.

Results: Total cholesterol was significantly reduced compared to the control (P<0.01) and soy protein groups (P<0.01). The results were the same regarding the fasting insulin serum (P<0.01 compared with the control and soy protein group), HOMA-IR (P<0.01 compared with the control and soy protein group), Fasting blood sugar (P<0.01 compared with the control and soy protein group), and LDL cholesterol (P<0.01 compared with the control and P<0.05 compared with the soy protein group). Both soy nut and soy protein reduced Apo B100 compared to the control group (P<0.01).  

Conclusion: Short-term soy nut consumption improved glycemic control and lipid profiles in postmenopausal women with the metabolic syndrome

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Background: Type 2 diabetes is a major metabolic disorder. This study was aimed to evaluate the effect of probiotic soymilk fermented with Bifidobacterium lactis and containing omega-3 on hematologic, oxidative stress, anti-oxidant and inflammatory parameters in type 2 diabetic rats.

Methods: In this experimental manipulation study 65 rats were divided into five groups. Type 2 diabetes was induced by a single injection of streptozotocin and nicotinamide. Normal control (NC) and diabetic control (DC) rats received 1 mL/day of distilled water, and three groups of diabetic rats were administered 1 mL/day of soymilk (SM), fermented soymilk (FSM) and fermented soymilk fortified with omega-3 (FSM+omega-3) products by oral gavage for 28 days. Hematologic, oxidative stress, anti-oxidant and inflammatory parameters were measured at the end of experiment.

Results: At the end of experiment, in all treated diabetic rats compared with the DC group, red blood cell (RBC), hemoglobin (Hb), hematocrit and superoxide dismutase (SOD) concentrations increased significantly (p<0.05), and malondialdehyde (MDA) concentrations reduced significantly (p<0.05). The reduction of MDA and increasing in Hb, RBC, hematocrit and SOD concentrations in the FSM+omega-3 group was more than two other groups. In the FSM+omega-3 group, high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP) concentrations compared with the DC and FSM groups were significantly lower (p<0.05).

Conclusion: The experiments suggest that combining soymilk, probiotics and omega-3 may be beneficial for the reducing oxidative-stress in type 2 diabetes.

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Background: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most common endocrine disorder among women and has lifelong health effects. This study aimed to investigate the physiological effects of PCOS on neurogenesis and cognitive symptom improvement through lifestyle changes and the use of complementary and alternative medicine.
Methods: In this experimental study, 30 female C57BL/6 mice with a mean weight of 18±2 kg and an age of 6 to 7 weeks were randomly divided into five groups: control group, polycystic group, polycystic + swimming exercise group, polycystic + soy group, and polycystic + exercise + soy group. Real-time PCR measured gene expression. Genes were selected with the help of bioinformatics software. ELISA evaluated luteinizing hormone(LH ) concentration.
Results: FN1-ARC-NGFR-BDNF genes showed decreased expression in mice with PCOS compared to the control group. On the other hand, the expression of FN1-ARC-NGFR-BDNF genes in mice with PCOS, swimming training, and soy supplement consumption significantly increased compared to the PCOS group. Simultaneous administration of swimming training and soy supplement consumption significantly increased LH concentration (p<0.001) and expression of FN1-ARC-NGFR-BDNF genes (p<0.05).
Conclusion: This study showed that combining swimming training and soy extract consumption can enhance neurogenesis in a PCOS model and improve cognitive symptoms. Our findings confirm that this combination not only enhances the function of the nervous system but also contributes to overall health improvement through hormonal regulation. These results provide a new avenue for complementary therapies in the management of PCOS.