Soy can lower cholesterol

Soy foods have been credited with all sorts of health benefits, but perhaps none so appealing as this assertion. The notion was cemented in 1999, when the Food and Drug Administration allowed companies to claim that 25 grams of soy protein a day, in a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol, “may reduce the risk of heart disease.” The agency evaluated studies — including an industry-financed analysis published in The New England Journal of Medicine in 1995 — concluding that soy protein could cut cholesterol. But studies since have raised doubts. In 2006, an American Heart Association advisory panel reviewed a decade of studies and determined that soy products had no significant effects on HDL (“good” cholesterol) or triglycerides, and little or no ability to lower “bad” cholesterol, or LDL. Another study, published in August in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, found that consuming 24 grams of soy protein daily had no “significant effect on plasma LDL” in people with mildly elevated cholesterol. Another line of research shows that soy seems to help when combined with foods low in fat and high in fiber and the compounds called plant sterols — in other words, an overall healthy diet.
THE BOTTOM LINE
There is evidence that soy can improve cholesterol, but the jury is still out.

Drinking too much water won’t reduce wrinkles
A 2007 study on the effects of water consumption did show that drinking 500 millilitres of water, about two cups, increased blood flow to the skin. A good sign, but there was no evidence that it reduced wrinkles or improved complexion. Other studies have hinted that vitamin C might prevent wrinkles, or that estrogen use in postmenopausal women might reduce dry skin and slow skin ageing. But the evidence for each is limited, and estrogen therapy can have bad side effects. Researchers say that one should always wear sunscreen, avoid cigarettes and eat well.
THE BOTTOM LINE
There is little evidence that excess water helps skin.

Are you more fertile after a miscarriage?
Unsuccessful pregnancies, sometimes called missed pregnancies, are common, occurring in 30 to 50 per cent of conceptions. Many are caused by chance chromosomal abnormalities in the embryo that are unlikely to affect the next pregnancy. Others result from progesterone deficiencies; according to a 2007 review of other studies, the effectiveness of progesterone supplements in preventing future problems is somewhat unclear. But the science is encouraging. According to a report by the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the probability of a second miscarriage is just 2.25 per cent, and the odds of a third are less than 1 percent. Another study in The New England Journal of Medicine followed a large sample of healthy women seeking to conceive and found that of those who miscarried, 95 per cent became pregnant within two years.
THE BOTTOM LINE
There is no evidence that fertility is greater after a missed pregnancy.
— NYT