The American Diabetes Association estimates that 18 million Americans have diabetes mellitus. Particularly troubling is that half of these individuals do not even know it. There are two general categories of diabetes referred to as Type 1 or Type 2. Type 1 diabetes, or juvenile onset diabetes, primarily targets children and young adults and requires treatment with daily injections of insulin. Therefore, Type 1 diabetes is often called insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM). Type 2 diabetes generally has an onset later in life and may often be treated solely with changes in diet and exercise, or a combination of these and oral medications. However, some people with Type 2 diabetes do require multiple daily insulin injections to help control their glucose levels. Approximately 90% of diabetics have Type 2, or non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) (1).

In both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes risk for heart disease, hypertension, disorders of the nervous system, blindness and kidney disease are elevated. In addition, diabetes can increase onešs risk of complications to the fetus and/or mother during pregnancy. For this reason diabetes can not simply be treated as a disorder in sugar digestion. Rather, one must also consider all of the complications that accompany the impaired glucose metabolism. The annual costs for prevention and treatment of this serious condition exceeds $100 billion and this amount continues to rise (2).

Why soy makes a difference
Modifications in diet are needed to help keep diabetes in control. In particular, specific meal plans for diabetics have been developed and proven to be successful for management of diabetes. Dr. Harvey Kellogg first suggested the role of soyfoods for the treatment of diabetes mellitus in 1917 (3). Research over the past 80 years has continued to support the benefits of substituting soy protein, for animal protein, in the diet of this population. In particular, research has focused on the role of soy in normalizing blood glucose, serving as a rich source of soluble fiber, reducing cholesterol levels and preventing and treating diabetic kidney disease.

First, a diet rich in soyfoods may help to normalize blood glucose. Soybeans are often described as having a low glycemic index. Foods with low glycemic indices are recommended to diabetes patients in an effort to manage and control their disease. In addition to having a low glycemic index, soyfoods are rich sources of fiber with 30% of this fiber appearing in the form of soluble fiber. Soluble fiber may also help to control blood glucose levels in both healthy and diabetic people.

A diet including approximately 25 grams of soy protein per day has been shown to have a significant benefit to both total and LDL-cholesterol levels (4). In general, by reducing onešs cholesterol there is a significant improvement in prevention and treatment of coronary heart disease. {Soy Foods Decrease Risk for Heart Disease} Lastly, a vegetarian diet has been shown to decrease the workload of the kidney and may possibly help to prevent and treat diabetic kidney disease. In addition, soyfoods may help to prevent kidney damage by normalizing glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and protein excretion in the urine. {Soy Foods in Kidney Health}

Soyfoods can readily be incorporated into a diabetic diet. Those following an exchange diet may use the following table as a guide for meal planning. Others may simply replace protein they normally eat in the form of meats, milk or cheese with soy alternatives. Speak with your health professional to learn how you can most effectively include soy into your daily diet.

Diabetic Exchange List Including Soy (5).