Some ISU researchers are hoping to find out if a certain soy protein is more effective in lowering cholesterol than other soy proteins.

Professors in the food science and human nutrition department are conducting a study on women aged 18 to 40 to determine the cholesterol-lowering effects of the soy protein called beta-conglycinin.

Suzanne Hendrich, professor of food science and human nutrition, said the professors are conducting the study to isolate exactly which soy proteins are the best for lowering cholesterol levels.

“In the past, studies have been done that show soy proteins are effective in lowering cholesterol,” said Hendrich, one of the lead investigators of the study.

In the previous studies, researchers fed their subjects a mixture of soy protein and other elements that are associated with soy proteins, she said.

Hendrich and the other professors conducting the ISU study wanted to find out what effects pure soy protein would have on lowering cholesterol, particularly in women.

D. Lee Alekel, assistant professor of food science and human nutrition, said the study is focusing on women for more than one reason, one of which is financial concerns.

“For one thing, it’s cheaper to feed women,” Alekel said. “The protein in these muffins is very expensive, and it’s much more affordable to provide a breakfast for women than for men.”

Alekel said another major reason for conducting the study only on women is that much more is already known about the cholesterol-lowering effects of soy proteins in men than in women.

The subjects in the study are being fed two different kinds of muffins every day. Subjects in one test group eat muffins with beta-conglycinin, while subjects in the other group eat muffins with a different kind of soy protein.

Over time, the subjects’ blood cholesterol levels are tested. The professors then compare the data from the subjects who ate the beta-conglycinin muffins with data from the subjects who ate the control muffins.

“We are barely beginning to get blood cholesterol data back now,” Hendrich said. “We probably won’t see any real results until the study has been finished.”

Currently, 22 women are participating as subjects in the study. Hendrich said she expects about 40 more subjects to be added in five to six weeks.

Alekel encouraged women who are interested in participating in the study to contact the food science and human nutrition department by sending an e-mail to [email protected] or [email protected]. All potential participants are required to give a blood sample and fill out a questionnaire.

The researchers began the study earlier this month and plan to stop the feeding in April. They expect to learn the final results of the study by the end of the summer.