Regularly eating fermented soy products could lower the risk of death from cardiovascular disease. TNS

If you’ve always wondered what could be the secret behind Japanese folks’ long lives, here’s the moment of truth.

Regularly eating fermented soy products such as miso and soy sauce, a staple in many Asian countries, could help you live longer, new research has found.

For the study, which was published in the British Medical Journal, researchers looked at the diets and overall health of 92,915 Japanese men and women aged 45 to 74 for an average of 15 years.

The researchers found that those who frequently ate miso, tempeh, soy sauce and natto, a gooey dish made from fermented soybeans that is popular in Asian countries, benefited from a lower risk of mortality.

The study examined how much fermented soy needed to be consumed in order to see benefits. 

It found that men who ate at least 50.2g per day of fermented soy were 10 per cent less likely to die in the 14.8 years after compared to those who ate the smallest amounts of fermented soy products.

Women saw the same benefits from eating at least 46.6g per day.

Consuming natto alone led to health benefits, too. 

The study found that eating at least 26.2g of the dish every day led to a 24 per cent lower risk of death from cardiovascular disease for men and 21 per cent lower for women.

The authors deduced that the benefits of fermented soy products could be courtesy their high fibre content. They are also rich in potassium.

However, the researchers said that various unmeasured factors could have influenced the study’s results, so more studies are needed in order to establish cause and effect.

Nonetheless, co-author Dr Norie Sawada of the National Cancer Centre in Japan said that he would recommend consuming fermented soy for its impact on cardiovascular disease.