Nutritionist explains the nutritional differences of plant milk: Soy milk may lower blood pressure and cholesterol, but the evidence is low

2026/09/15 06:24

Nutritionist Xue Xiaojing said that soy milk, oat milk, and cow's milk have different nutritional compositions. When choosing plant milk, you should not just look at "plant-based". Studies have shown that drinking one of these drinks can lower blood pressure; diagram. (Picture taken from freepik)

[Health Channel/Comprehensive Report] Plant milk has become one of the popular health choices in recent years, but it does not mean that all nutritional values are the same. Nutritionist Xue Xiaojing pointed out that a systematic review and network analysis in 2026 compared the effects of soy milk, oatmeal drink, rice milk and milk on blood lipids, blood sugar, blood pressure, etc. The results showed that soy milk showed more favorable results in reducing bad cholesterol (LDL) and blood pressure, while oatmeal drink may help reduce total cholesterol. However, because the research evidence is still low-certainty, we caution that soy milk cannot be used as a blood pressure-lowering drink, nor can it be used to replace drug treatment.

Study: Soy milk lowers cholesterol, blood pressure

Xue Xiaojing posted on Facebook that a latest study published in "Advances in Nutrition" included 14 randomized controlled trials and 543 adults. It compared the effects of 4 different drinks such as soy milk and oat milk on body weight, BMI, blood lipids, blood sugar and blood pressure, and uniformly converted them into 500 ml of daily intake for analysis. Research shows that after replacing milk with soy milk, LDL cholesterol is reduced by 0.47mmol/L on average; as for blood pressure, systolic blood pressure is reduced by about 8.23mmHg on average, and diastolic blood pressure is reduced by about 7.82mmHg.

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However, Xue Xiaojing reminded that the evidence of this result is of "low certainty". After further sensitivity analysis, the decrease may be narrowed, and there are also differences between different experiments. therefore. It cannot be interpreted that drinking 500mL of soy milk every day will definitely lower cholesterol or blood pressure, nor can it be used to replace blood pressure lowering drugs. A more appropriate understanding is that if you originally want to replace part of the milk with plant-based drinks, the current research evidence on the cardiovascular metabolism of soy milk is relatively complete.

Drinking oatmeal drink is not the same as eating oatmeal porridge

As for the oatmeal drink, the results mainly appeared in total cholesterol. Research shows that compared with milk, total cholesterol in oat drink is about 0.12mmol/L lower on average, and compared with rice milk, it is about 0.23mmol/L lower. It is speculated that one of the possible reasons is that the β-glucan in oats is sticky after entering the intestine, which can reduce the reabsorption of bile acid and increase the excretion of cholesterol. However, the number of relevant trials is small and the certainty of the evidence is also very low. In addition, Xue Xiaojing also reminded that the oat content, processing method and β-glucan content of commercially available oat drinks vary greatly. Drinking oat milk cannot be considered to be the same as eating oat porridge.

Rice milk with low protein content = starchy drink

In addition, Xue Xiaojing further mentioned that rice milk tastes very refreshing, but it is actually more like a starch drink. Research shows that it has no clear advantages in terms of weight, blood lipids, blood sugar and other indicators. In addition, the protein content of rice milk is low, and its main nutritional source is carbohydrates. Unlike soybeans, which are rich in soy protein and isoflavones, and unlike oats, which have special ingredients such as β-glucan, rice milk cannot be regarded as a substitute for milk just because it is considered "healthier".

Xue Xiaojing emphasized that milk vs. plant milk is not black and white. If you originally want to increase plant foods, or adjust the source of fat and protein in your diet, sugar-free soy milk is currently the choice with relatively complete research evidence; oatmeal drink can be paired, but you need to take a closer look at protein and sugar; rice milk should not be directly regarded as the nutritional equivalent of milk.