Effects of Soy Milk Consumption on Cardiovascular Risk Factors and Renal Function among Type 2 Diabetic Patients with Nephropathy

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is one of the major complications of diabetes. The progression of this disease might be associated with dietary intake. We thus aimed to determine the effects of consuming soy milk compared to cow milk on cardiovascular risk factors and renal function in type 2 diabetic patients with nephropathy. This randomized crossover controlled clinical trial was conducted on 25 type 2 diabetic patients with nephropathy. Participants were randomly assigned to consume a diet containing either soy milk or cow milk for 4 weeks. There was a 2-week wash-out period between the 2 intervention periods. Anthropometric and biochemical tests were performed according to the standard protocols. Systolic blood pressure was reduced from 5.89% using cow milk to 4.50% using soy milk (P < 0.05). This reduction remained significant after adjusting for confounding factors including carbohydrate intake. Plasma triglyceride levels also decreased significantly following soy milk consumption (-15.22% after soy milk vs. 2.37% after cow milk consumption; P < 0.05). However, this change was not significant after adjusting for carbohydrate intake. There were no significant differences between the soy milk and cow milk consumption regarding other cardiovascular risk factors and markers of kidney function. Soy milk consumption could have beneficial effects on systolic blood pressure among diabetic patients with nephropathy.