A trial rep
ort recently published in Hypotension Research found that black soy peptide supplementation can lower both diastolic and systolic blood pressure and reduce oxidative stress in patients with prehypertension or stage 1 hypertension.J.H. Kwak and colleagues from Yonsei University Research Institute of Science for Aging, Yonsei University in Seoul, Korea conducted the randomized controlled trial and found black soy peptide supplementation lowered systolic blood pressure by 9.7 mm Hg in people with prehypertension or stage 1 hypertension.
Prior research has already shown that black soy peptides may decrease blood pressure. The current study was intended to examine if black soy peptide supplementation affects blood pressure and oxidative stress in men and women with prehypertension or stage 1 hypertension.
For the study, 100 subjects with untreated systolic blood pressure at 130 to 159 mm Hg and diastolic blood pressure at 80 to 99 mm Hg were randomly assigned to receive 4.5 grams of black soy peptides or placebo daily for a period of eight weeks.
Both diastolic and systolic blood pressure decreased after the 8-week black soy peptide supplementation while the reduction in the latter was more significant.
Additionally, black soy peptide supplements decreased plasma malondialdehyde and urinary 8-epiprostaglandin F2α, which are biomarkers of lipid peroxidation or oxidative stress. Oxidative stress is linked to all sorts of chronic diseases including cancer.
Black soy peptides help prediabetics and type 2 diabetics
The same research team reported in 2010 in Journal of Medicinal Food that a 12-week black soy peptide supplementation can improve glucose control in men and women with prediabetes and newly diagnosed type 2 diabetes.
The researchers found black soy peptides significantly lowered fasting glucose levels and 2-hour PG level, compared with baseline levels in study participants with fasting glucose greater than or equal to 110 mg/dL.
However, black soy peptides did not decrease hemoglobin A1c, which is the reliable indicator for the severity of type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Black soy peptides help weight loss
A third study led by the same team and published in 2012 in Food & Function suggests that black soy peptides can help weight management in overweight or obese people.
In this study, 64 participants who were assigned to take either black soy peptides or placebo completed the 12-week double blind controlled trial and the study group experienced a significant reduction in body weight and body mass index in addition to a loss of body fat.
It seems that black soy peptides are not available as a dietary supplement in the U.S. Food consumers may still use black soy or black soybeans, which can be purchased from many food stores.
