Gold Medal Soy Research Presented at the “Olympics of Nutrition”
Soy Nutrition Institute Global (SNI Global) and the United States Soybean Export Council (USSEC), with support from U.S. Soy, participated in the 2025 International Congress of Nutrition held in August in Paris, France. Considered the “Olympics of Nutrition,” thousands of leading nutrition scientists and public health professionals from around the globe attended the event. The event is hosted every four years by the International Union of Nutritional Sciences (IUNS).
“Soy is perfectly postured to bring good nutrition to the global diet in a sustainable way,” Julie Ohmen, SNI Global Chief Executive Officer, said. “As the leading voice of soy science for human health and nutrition, we are grateful for this opportunity to connect with researchers and scientists across the world.”
SNI Global and USSEC elevated the global conversation around soy’s role in both human and planetary health, contributing to two key sessions:
Cultivating Resilience: The Intersection of Climate Change, Sustainability, and Nutrition through Regenerative Agriculture
An engaged crowd gathered to hear how agriculture delivers nutrients to populations by serving as the primary source of food that provides vitamins, minerals, and macronutrients required for human health. Tarik Eluri, Manager of Sustainability, USSEC, shared an overview of the sustainability practices and innovation that have contributed to historical increases in U.S. soybean yields. U.S. soybean farmers utilize precision agriculture, GMO soybeans that are resistant to pests, herbicides, and environmental stress, and no-till farming, which allows them to produce more on the same amount of land. Mark Messina, PhD, MS, Director of Nutrition Science and Research, SNI Global, outlined the attributes of soy that make it a potential contribution to the global food supply, including its high-quality protein, fat content (omega-6 and omega-3), caloric density, abundant supply, affordability, nitrogen-fixing capabilities, sustainable production, and versatility1 .
Decoding the Soy and Heart Health Controversy: A Global Review of Research and Recommendations
This well-attended session examined the complex global landscape of nutrition and health claims, highlighting soy protein’s cholesterol-lowering effect and related health claims. Alan Barclay, PhD, Accredited Practicing Dietitian and Nutritional Epidemiologist from Sydney, Australia, reviewed regulatory differences in nutrition and health claims in various countries and explored how these claims shape consumer perceptions, trust, and behavior.
The session also featured new scientific findings from a systematic review and meta-analysis on soy protein and heart health, presented by John Sievenpiper, MD, PhD, Departments of Nutritional Sciences and Medicine, University of Toronto. Dr. Sievenpiper shared insights from this soon-to-be-published data and a summary of existing health claims for soy protein and its cholesterol-lowering effect. He emphasized that the new additions to the literature further support the strength of the evidence and that the cholesterol-lowering effect of soy protein is clinically relevant.
This was soy’s largest footprint at the International Congress of Nutrition to date. Learn more about the scientific evidence on soy for human health and nutrition by visiting SNIGlobal.org. Explore other highlights from the 2025 International Congress of Nutrition at https://iuns.org/iuns-icn/.
This article is partially funded by the Soy Checkoff.
1 – Source: Mark Messina, Perspective: Soybeans Can Help Address the Caloric and Protein Needs of a Growing Global Population, Frontiers in Nutrition, 2022; https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2022.909464.