Black soya beans can reduce cholesterol levels, diabetes risk

The study involved four groups of eight rats, each group receiving a different level of black soya in their diet. The group that received the highest level of energy from black soya, 10% of their energy, benefited the most. This group gained half as much weight as the group of rats which received no black soya, and also reduced cholesterol levels by 25%.

The study, which has been published in the Journal of Science of Food and Agriculture, suggests that black soya may be better at reducing cholesterol and controlling weight than yellow soya beans, which have already been proven to lower cholesterol.

Weight is considered to be linked to type 2 diabetes, and traditional oriental medicine uses black soya to treat diabetes. Experts in the UK warned that eating black soya alone will not prevent diabetes.