Proteína de soya: alternativa no farmacológica para el tratamiento de ni？os con hipercolesterolemia

primary hypercholesterolemia treatment (pht) is based on a reduced diet in saturated fat and cholesterol, which can diminish between 10 and 20% of serum cholesterol (ct). soybean protein has the potential to reduce ct, when it substitutes partial or totally animal protein. the present study shows the results of the effect of a low saturated fat, cholesterol and soybean protein diet on ldl-c in costa rican children with primary hypercholesterolemia. twenty children, between the ages of 7 and 14, were randomly assigned to one of the two dietary treatments at home. the experimental group received: stage 1 ncep diet, it consisted of 25 more grams of soybean protein and the control group received: stage 1 ncep diet without soybean protein. after a homogenization period of ten days, the intervention began for eight weeks. both groups reduced their total cholesterol and their ldl-c (p< 0,05). however, the experimental group showed a greater reduction of their ldl-c (10,5 % vs. 3,9 %1), than the control, but tbis difference was not significant. those who consumed more than 20 grams of soybean protein had a bigger reduction of their ldl-c and a smaller negative effect of their hdl-c. soy protein diet did not have significant effect on ldl-c reduction, we can not conclude that there is an advantage of using soy protein over traditional treatment of primary hypercholesterolemia.