Soy, but not isoflavones, keeps the heart healthy

Eating soy can help keep your blood vessels free of plaque, but popping a pill that contains soy antioxidants won't do much good, new research in monkeys suggests.

U.S. investigators found that female monkeys who ate a diet in which all protein came from soy showed fewer signs of artery-clogging (that is, atherosclerosis) than monkeys who consumed all of their protein from milk.

However, supplementing milk protein diets with soy ingredients called isoflavones - antioxidants thought to confer much of soy's beneficial effects - appeared to do nothing to reduce the risk of atherosclerosis.

No soy pills and soy candy, back to soy milk and tofu.