Canada’s health claim for soy protein and cholesterol reduction is not impacted by the recent announcement from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) proposing to revoke a health claim in the United States linking soy protein consumption to reducing heart disease in humans.
“The soy health claim approved in Canada states that consumption of protein-rich soy food lowers cholesterol.This is not the same health claim that was approved in the United States. That claim essentially links the consumption of soy protein with a reduction in heart disease risk,” says Jeff Schmalz, CEO of Oilseed Innovation Partners, the group that spearheaded the Canadian health claim process.
Oilseed Innovation Partners, formerly Soy 20/20, worked with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) and Guelph-based Nutrasource Diagnostics Inc, a contract research organization and consulting firm specializing in regulatory and scientific affairs, on establishing the Canadian soy health claim.
This included a meta-analysis on all human research published to 2011 showing that soy protein consumption is effective in reducing total and LDL-cholesterol levels. A second meta-analysis involving human research published through to 2013 was completed by Health Canada and showed similar results. Collectively, evidence showed that soy protein consumption resulted in a 2.6% reduction in total cholesterol levels, and 4% reduction in LDL cholesterol levels, both of which were statistically significant differences.
“Our Canadian health claim went through a very rigorous review process and we are very confident in the science and the analysis that led to the claim being granted by Health Canada in 2015,” Schmalz adds. “The relationship between soy protein consumption and lower cholesterol levels is recognized by many other countries around the world as well.”
Source: OilSeed Innovation