Soybeans are naturally low in fat and cholesterol and high in fiber.
So tofu might be beneficial simply because a low fat, high fiber diet is good. One study, led by John R. Crouse III, M.D., is testing whether soybeans lower cholesterol and improve arterial disease, and hones in on whether the effect is the result of the soy protein or the phytoestrogen. Crouse and his colleagues are recruiting 150 men and women with mildly elevated cholesterol levels. The volunteers will be on the diet for nine weeks, and the researchers will monitor changes in the cholesterol in the blood and measure changes in artery disease. A second, longer-term study headed by Gregory Burke M.D. is looking at whether the phytoestrogen in tofu can serve as an outright substitute for estrogen in postmenopausal women.