Elevated blood pressure is a side effect of soy

This post contains a synopsis of a paper published in BMC Womens Health 2005; 5: 9 and a recipe for caprese chicken with bacon.

Study title and authors:
Hypertensive crisis associated with high dose soy isoflavone supplementation in a post-menopausal woman: a case report
Andrea M Hutchins, Imogene E McIver, and Carol S Johnston
Department of Nutrition, Arizona State University, 7001 East Williams Field Road, Mesa, AZ 85212, USA

This paper can be accessed at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1181821/

Books:

Hutchins notes that isoflavones are gaining popularity as alternatives to hormone replacement therapy. However, few guidelines exist to inform the public as to an appropriate dose.

This paper analyses a postmenopausal woman who experienced a high blood pressure crisis while consuming a high-dose soy isoflavone supplement as part of research study.

Upon entry into the study, this healthy, well-nourished, with normal blood pressure, postmenopausal woman (51 years old), consumed treatments which included soy isoflavones. During this treatment, the participant's systolic blood pressure spiked to a recorded 226/117 mmHg, necessitating medical intervention and discontinuation of study participation.

Hutchins concludes that due to the availability of soy supplements, doctors should be aware of the potential side effects associated with their use and should advise patients that elevated blood pressure may be a potential side-effect to consider.

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Recipe of the day

Caprese Chicken with Bacon

Serves 4

Ingredients:

Food Mall: Boneless Chicken Breasts

•8 slices bacon;

•4 boneless chicken breast halves;
•2 plum tomatoes, sliced;
•6 basil leaves, sliced thinly;
•Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste;

Preparation:
1.Preheat your oven to 400 F.

2.Place the bacon slices on a rimmed baking sheet and place in the oven to cook for about 10 minutes so they are still soft.

3.Remove from the oven and pat the slices dry with paper towels.

4.Rub the chicken breast halves in the rendered bacon fat, season them with salt and pepper to taste and place them in a baking dish.

5.Place the basil leaves and tomato slices on top of the breast halves and place the partially cooked bacon slices over.

6.Place in the oven to cook for about 20 to 25 minutes, until the chicken is well cooked.

Caprese Chicken with Bacon