2007 Volume 18 Issue 1 Pages 74-77
Soy-yogurt is produced from a mixture of okara and soy milk by lactic acid bacteria that is present in fermented vegetable food. In order to clarify the availability of the soy-yogurt as a functional food, its physiological effect was investigated using 5-week old male Sprague-Dawley rats fed a soy-yogurt diet. The levels of plasma and hepatic cholesterol significantly decreased in the group fed the soy-yogurt compared to the control group. The hepatic triglyceride in the rats fed the soy-yogurt showed a tendency of decrease compared to the control group. The amount of fecal bile acid in the group fed the soy-yogurt increased more than that of the control group. These results suggest that the soy-yogurt is beneficial for preventing hypercholesterolemia and a fatty liver. Therefore, the soy-yogurt is proposed to be useful as a functional food for the prevention of lifestyle-related diseases.
