Effects of Soy Intake on Leptin Levels in Women with Metabolic Syndrome

Soy intake may affect serum leptin levels. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of soy intake on serum leptin levels among postmenopausal women with metabolic syndrome. Forty two postmenopausal women with metabolic syndrome were included in this study. They were assigned to one of the following groups for duration of eight weeks: control group that were exposed to Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH), soy protein diet group and soy nut diet group. Serum leptin level was measured by ELISA method. There was no significant weight change in patients during three phases of trial. Also there was no significant difference among the values of serum leptin concentrations after the use of these diets (geometric mean ± SD: 16.9 ± 2.5 ng/ml in the control group, 16.1 ± 1.6 ng/ml in the soy protein diet, and 15.9 ± 1.7 ng/ml in the soy nut diet). Neither soy protein nor soy nut diets could affect on percent difference compared to control for serum leptin levels (P = 0.32). The study showed that neither soy protein, nor soy nut could affect weight and serum leptin levels in postmenopausal women with metabolic syndrome.