ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Nutr.
Sec. Nutritional Epidemiology
Volume 12 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fnut.2025.1637413
This article is part of the Research TopicDietary Pattern and Metabolic SyndromeView all 5 articles
The association between soy consumption and metabolic syndrome in Chinese adults: A cross-sectional study
Provisionally accepted
- 1School of Public Health, Soochow University Medical College, Suzhou, China
- 2Suzhou Industrial Park Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Suzhou, China
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Evidence on the association between soy consumption and metabolic syndrome (MetS) remains limited and inconclusive. This cross-sectional study investigated the association between soy consumption and the prevalence of MetS and its components among residents of Suzhou Industrial Park, Suzhou, China. All interviews, examinations, sample collections, and measurements were conducted by trained personnel. Dietary intake was assessed using an interviewer-administered food frequency questionnaire. MetS was defined according to the Joint Interim Statement.Logistic regression models were used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for MetS and its components in relation to soy consumption.A total of 5,107 participants were included in the analyses. Each 25 g/day increase in soy consumption was associated with 5% (OR 0.95, 95% CI 0.92-0.98), 3% (OR 0.97, 95% CI 0.94-0.99), 6% (OR 0.94, 95% CI 0.91-0.96), 5% (OR 0.95, 95% CI 0.92-0.97), and 3% (OR 0.97, 95% CI 0.94-0.99) lower odds of MetS, elevated waist circumference, elevated triglycerides, reduced HDL-cholesterol, and elevated blood pressure, respectively. These associations were primarily driven by stronger and more consistent inverse associations observed in women. Among women, menopausal status did not appear to modify the associations. In summary, higher soy consumption was associated with lower likelihood of MetS and most of its components, except elevated fasting blood glucose, particularly among women. These findings underscore the need for prospective studies across diverse populations to elucidate temporal relationships, evaluate specific soy foods, and investigate potential differences by sex and menopausal status.
Keywords: soy, metabolic syndrome, Blood Pressure, Lipid, Glucose, Obesity
Received: 29 May 2025; Accepted: 21 Jul 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Hidayat, Huang, Qian, Chen, Yu, Zhou and Qin. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence:
Khemayanto Hidayat, School of Public Health, Soochow University Medical College, Suzhou, China
Li-Qiang Qin, School of Public Health, Soochow University Medical College, Suzhou, China
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