New Delhi. A diet rich in soya protein has a lasting beneficial effect on the heart, blood vessels and kidneys of people with type 2 diabetes and kidney disease.

Quoting a study from Iranian researchers in the journal Diabetes Care, Dr KK Aggarwal, President Heart Care Foundation of India said that soya protein consumption has a significant positive impact on cardiovascular risk factors and kidney related biomarkers among type 2 diabetic patients with kidney disease.

In the study at Isfahan University of Medical Sciences compared with controls, patients who ate soya protein showed significantly lower levels of fasting blood sugar, total cholesterol, "bad" LDL cholesterol, and triglycerides.

In addition, circulating C-reactive protein levels, which signal inflammation in the body, were reduced as were levels of well– known urinary markers of kidney disease. Short–term studies have indicated such benefits with soya protein, but the report points that these effects remain "stable with long–term consumption."

Lycopene, the much–touted cancer fighting antioxidant found in tomatoes and ketchup, is ineffective in preventing prostate cancer, added Dr Aggarwal. In fact, higher intake of another antioxidant found in many vegetables, beta–carotene, appears to increase the risk for aggressive prostate cancer. A study published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention involving more than 28,000 men, has shown that tomatoes, and tomato found in ketchup and pizza, do not reduce the risk for prostate cancer.