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Nutrisoy® Heart Health Poll - A Closer Look
by distributed by NutriSoy soy protein

Archer Daniels Midland Company launched a survey of over 1000 men and women to discover American attitudes towards Heart Health. The findings of this survey may well be eye opening for more than a few.

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The NutriSoy® Heart Health Poll was conducted in August 2001 to uncover how Americans view heart disease, exercise, diet and the heart-health benefits of soy protein. The telephone survey was conducted among a random sample of 1,011 men and women. Survey findings are representative of the U.S. population and reflect a +/- 2 percent level of error.

• Personally Touched More than two-thirds of respondents (35 percent) said that an immediate family member or relative has suffered from heart disease. More than half (57 percent) knew someone who died as a result of the disease.
  
  
• Heart Disease Hits Women
  When asked for the leading cause of death among women, half of respondents were unaware that heart disease is the leading cause of death among women, with 45 percent believing breast cancer to be the number-one killer.
  
  
• Taking Action
  While virtually all respondents (99 percent) said that heart health is important, only 54 percent claimed they actually take steps each day to improve or maintain their own heart health.
  
  
• Do The Walk (or Run) of Life
  A majority of Americans (52 percent) cited walking or running as their favorite way to get exercise. Working out at home (18 percent) and participating in sports activities (12 percent) were other exercise favorites. A trip to the mall (8 percent) was slightly more popular than an exercise class, such as aerobics, spinning, yoga or pilates (3 percent). More women (24 percent) than men (11 percent) work out at home while more men (20 percent) than women (3 percent) participate in sports activities.
  
  
• Time to Exercise?
  Twenty-four hours in a day aren't enough for many Americans to squeeze in exercise. Forty-two percent said the lack of time was the reason they usually skipped exercise. Other common excuses for skipping a workout included "too tired" (31 percent), "exercise is boring" (13 percent) and "I prefer to watch TV or see friends" (6 percent).
  
  
• Taste First, Health Second
  While Americans claim to be health conscious, healthy foods still take a backseat to foods that taste good. Forty-seven percent said taste was most important when purchasing a new food product, while 22 percent pointed to health benefits as most important. Now it's easier than ever to find delicious foods with the heart-healthy benefits of soy protein by looking for the NutriSoy™ logo on packaging.

• Looking for Information
  More than half of Americans regard nutritionists, registered dietitians and doctors as the most credible sources when it comes to finding out the health benefits of foods. However, when asked where they actually go for health information, respondents said they look first to a doctor (70 percent), the Internet (59 percent) and health and nutrition magazines (42 percent).
  
  
• Soy: Still a Secret?
  Most Americans are unaware of the heart-healthy benefits of soy protein. Less than half of respondents (41 percent) know that soy protein is heart-healthy. In fact, the Food and Drug Administration approved the health claim that a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol that includes 25 grams of soy protein per day may reduce the risk of heart disease. Additionally, the American Heart Association Dietary Guidelines recognize soy protein used within a diet low in total and saturated fat may help to reduce the risk of heart disease in high risk people with hypercholesterolemia.
  
  
• Plenty to Choose From
  Americans are purchasing a number of different types of soy products, including meat-replacement foods, such as soy burgers or hot dogs (35 percent), energy bars (33 percent), tofu (30 percent) and soy milk (30 percent). When asked for their most desired foods to contain soy protein, respondents provided a range of answers, including "beer," "baby food," "all candies," "bacon," "cake" and "cookies." The great news is that many of these foods will soon be available with NutriSoy soy protein. People will just need to look for the NutriSoy logo to identify foods containing a significant amount of soy protein.
  
  
• Fooled by Health Claims
  Twenty-two percent of respondents believed the false claim that drinking cranberry juice each day can help prevent against heart disease while another 19 percent said they believed the false claim that monounsaturated fats are bad for the heart. Although many were fooled by these claims, more than three-fourths (76 percent) of respondents were aware that the American Heart Association Dietary Guidelines recognize that soy protein used within a diet low in total and saturated fat may help to reduce the risk of heart disease for high risk people with hypercholesterolemia.

### NutriSoy is a registered trademark of Archer Daniels Midland Company.

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