Not all soy is created equal. Want proof? Just look at the facts:
Year: 1995
Research: Meta-analysis of clinical trials shows a 12.5% reduction of LDL cholesterol with the daily consumption of 25 grams of soy protein.
Result: FDA approves health claim in 1999: 25 grams of soy protein a day, as part of a diet low in saturated fat and
cholesterol, may reduce the risk of heart disease.
Year: 2006
Research: Meta-analysis of clinical trials conducted after the FDA approval shows that, on average, 50 grams soy protein per day reduces LDL cholesterol by just 3%.
Result: American Heart Association (AHA) petitions to repeal the 1999 FDA health claim on soy protein.
So what happened between 1995 and 2006 to soy protein’s ability to lower cholesterol? The demand for soy products skyrocketed with the FDA health claim, and producers developed more efficient manufacturing processes to meet that demand. Unfortunately, many of these processes removed the component in soy protein responsible for lowering cholesterol in the first place: lunasin, a naturally occurring peptide.
Breakthrough Discovery
Dr. Alfredo Galvez first discovered lunasin at UC Berkley in 1996. More than 50 published studies on lunasin at more than 25 research institutions followed. In 2012 the AHA, the very organization seeking to repeal soy protein’s FDA health claim, acknowledged lunasin’s ability to support cardiovascular health.
Year: 2008
Research: Clinical study identifies the lunasin peptide in soy protein as the active ingredient responsible for lowering LDL cholesterol.
Result: American Heart Association invites Dr. Alfredo Galvez, the leader of the study and discoverer of lunasin, to present at its national convention and publishes the study abstract in its journal Circulation in 2012.
A Better Bean
No other products optimize lunasin content like Reliv’s LunaRich® line. It’s all thanks to a seed selection and manufacturing process exclusive to Reliv’s partners at Soy Labs and the Missouri Plant Science Center. The LunaRich germ plasm soybean screening is conducted at the National Center for Soybean Biotechnology. (NCSB), located in the Bond Life Sciences Center on the University of Missouri campus. Scientists there have created a database of the traits of thousands of varieties of soybeans. Only those seed varieties that have the highest concentration of lunasin are selected for use in LunaRich.
These specific varieties are continually being enhanced through natural plant breeding, so each successive seed harvest yields even higher lunasin levels. That means that all soybeans used in LunaRich are non-GMO, of the absolute highest quality and only getting better.
Healthier Harvest
The manufacturing technology used to produce LunaRich is also critical. This proprietary process does not use any harsh chemicals that could destroy or wash away the peptide. Many soy powders are manufactured through a chemical extraction method; however, LunaRich is manufactured using only mechanical extraction to separate the various soy components.
The resulting products, LunaRich soy powder and the further refined LunaRich X™, are the only products on the market that can guarantee the amount of bioactive lunasin they contain. With LunaRich you can rest assured you’re getting the full benefits of this remarkable soy peptide with every serving.
A Brief History of LunaRich
1996: Lunasin discovered by Dr. Alfredo Galvez at UC Berkeley
1999: FDA approves heart health claim for soy protein
2008: Dr. Galvez presents lunasin’s epigenetic mechanism of action for lowering cholesterol
2009: Soy Labs awarded U.S. patent for mechanism of action
2011: Missouri Plant Science Center opens, Reliv partners with Soy Labs and MPSC
2012: Reliv introduces LunaRich soy powder
2013: Reliv launches LunaRich X and LunaRich points system