Evaluation of the relationship between genistein intake and diabetes and cardiovascular outcomes using 2009‐2010 data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey

Genistein is a phytoestrogen found primarily in soy-based foods. Preclinical studies have linked genistein with various physiological benefits such as improved cardiovascular health and notable decreases in weight gain. However, very few clinical studies with genistein have been completed to date. For this reason, we used data from the 2009-2010 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) to determine whether humans confer similar benefits from genistein. This program of studies is designed to assess the health and nutritional status of participants including various parameters relating to their overall cardiovascular health and diet. The dataset for this study was a subset of NHANES participants (n=2,941) that had laboratory blood sample data including genistein levels and glucose tolerance tests (GTT's). The relationship between genistein and the health measures of plasma triglyceride, LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, total cholesterol, insulin, fasting glucose, and results from two hour GTT's were analyzed using scatterplots and Pearson correlation coefficients for participants with diabetes or those with borderline diabetes (n=246) as compared to those without diabetes (n=2,695). There were no statistically significant relationships identified between genistein intake and any health measure examined for participants with or without diabetes, which contrasts with results reported in preclinical studies. The present study was the first to examine these relationships using the NHANES survey data and provides an initial examination of whether genistein could confer cardiovascular benefits in humans with diabetes. Due to the paucity of data available on the cardiovascular effects of genistein in human subjects, additional studies would be required to confirm the present findings.