Hypolipidemic effect of Shoyu polysaccharides from soy sauce in animals and humans.

Soy sauce (Shoyu) is a traditional Japanese fermented seasoning and is available worldwide. We investigated the effects of Shoyu polysaccharides (SPS) prepared from soy sauce on hyperlipidemia in vitro and in vivo. First, SPS inhibited pancreatic lipase. Second, in experiments with animals, it was found that SPS reduced serum triacylglycerol (TG) elevation induced by high-fat diets. Third, in a 2-week placebo-controlled parallel group study, healthy men (TG 150 mg/dl) were treated with 600 mg of SPS (n=15) or placebo (n=15) daily. After 4 weeks, serum TG levels in the SPS-treated group were significantly (P<0.05) lower than the baseline (0 week). In conclusion, SPS of soy sauce reduce lipid absorption, and soy sauce is a potentially promising seasoning for the treatment of hyperlipidemia through food.