The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) today approved for use a health claim, to be used on food labels and in food labeling, on the association between consumption of soy protein and the reduced risk of coronary heart disease. The health claim comes in response to a petition filed by DuPont's Protein Technologies International (PTI) in May 1998.

Food products that contain a minimum of 6.25 grams of soy protein per serving will be allowed to
feature one of two claim wordings, one of which reads: ``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. A serving of (name of food) supplies __ grams of soy protein.'' The other claim label food manufacturers may use reads: "Diets low in saturated fat and cholesterol that include 25 grams of soy protein a day may reduce the risk of heart disease. One serving of (name food) provides __ grams of soy protein.'' This health claim was developed by the FDA, which concluded, based on scientific evidence from more than 50 independent studies, that 25 grams of soy protein included in a daily diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol reduces the risk of coronary heart disease. "We're extremely pleased the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recognizes the importance of including soy protein in the diets of people of all ages to help reduce the risk of coronary heart disease,'' said Tom Humphrey, president of DuPont Nutrition and Health. "We hope this health claim will encourage Americans to include 25 grams of soy protein in their diets each day,'' said Humphrey.

More than 750,000 Americans die from coronary heart disease each year, for which elevated
cholesterol levels are a contributing cause. About 20 percent of adults have blood cholesterol levels greater than 240 mg/dL and another 31 percent have ``borderline high'' cholesterol levels over 200 mg/dL.

A continued increase in consumer demand for great tasting soy protein products has been supporting the ongoing development and introduction of new soy products, enabling more Americans to easily and conveniently include the 25 grams of soy protein needed daily to reduce cholesterol and the risk of heart disease.

"In addition to a wide variety of soy protein beverages and bars that are currently available in the
marketplace, we have been working with food manufacturers to include the recommended amount of soy protein in many of today's favorite foods,'' said Humphrey.

Isolated soy protein is a complete protein and is equivalent in protein quality to milk, meat or eggs, without the cholesterol and saturated fats found in these foods. PTI's Supro® and SuproSoy(TM) Brand Isolated Soy Proteins are widely used as a source of high-quality protein in the manufacture of meat, poultry, meat and poultry analogs, bars, beverages and many other familiar food products. Soy is also commonly consumed in the diet as tofu, tempeh and miso, but is also available to consumers as whole soybeans, soynuts, soy milk, soy yogurt and soy cheese.

DuPont is a science company, delivering science-based solutions that make a difference in people's lives in food and nutrition; health care; apparel; home and construction; electronics; and transportation. Founded in 1802, the company operates in 65 countries and has 92,000 employees.

Company news release
N2186