Soy Protein Intake and the Metabolic Syndrome

Inclusion Criteria: * Women * 45-70 years * No menstrual cycle for ≥1 year * Stable body weight for ≥6 months (no weight gain/loss \> 3 kg) * Stable exercise habits during the last 6 months, and not participating in any vigorous exercise program * Central obesity: waist circumference ≥80 cm Plus any one of the following four factors: * Raised triglyceride level: ≥1.7 mmol/L; * Reduced high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol: \<1.29 mmol/L * Raised blood pressure: systolic blood pressure ≥135 mmHg or diastolic BP ≥85 mmHg or use of blood pressure lowering medication * Raised fasting plasma glucose ≥ 5.6 mmol/L Exclusion Criteria: * (Undiagnosed) Diabetes - but not impaired fasting glucose (IFG) and/or impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) as evaluated by an oral glucose tolerance test at screening * Active hearth disease, i.e. history of myocardial infarction, stroke or angina pectoris * Active or a history of thyroid disease * Cancer or other malignancies in the past 5 years * Two sided ovariectomy * Drug use knowing to interfere with objectives of the study * oral corticosteroids, lipid-lowering drugs (statins) * anti-conceptive use (such as the pill or IUD) * hormone replacement therapy * long-term antibiotics use * Habitual intake of soy foods (\>1 soy food per week) * Isoflavone supplements * Vegetarian * Following, or have recently followed a (weight-loss) diet * Allergic to soy or dairy products * Smoking * Consuming more than 14 glasses of alcohol per week * Donated or intended to donate blood 2 months before till two months after the study * Participation in another biomedical study within 1 month before the first screening visit * Not willing to be informed if deviations are found in blood samples * Contraindications to MRI scanning