Posted by Savneet Singh on Dec.29, 2010

ⓒ iStockPhoto - qbanczyk

Soy has become very famous lately because it is everywhere and is possible in every form. Soy is a plant product containing protein, fiber, essential fatty acids, as well as numerous vitamins and minerals. The presence of phytochemicals such as isoflavones, phytate, saponins and phytosterols, makes it even more useful. Soy is supposed to have properties which might help to fight against diseases like cancer, heart disease, osteoporosis and more. Soy is available in the form of nuts, milk, yogurt, cheese, flour, tofu, tempeh, beans and other meat analogs. This can be cooked with other food items to increase its nutritional value or cooked alone.

You might have read that soy is very good for health. You will be surprised to know that around 100 years back it was considered unfit for eating. It has been found that soy is actually very hard on our body system, especially on the hormonal system. Soybean was considered one of the sacred grains among wheat, barley, millet and rice in China centuries ago. It was considered sacred because it was very useful in crop rotation. The roots of soybean plants fix atmospheric nitrogen into useful nitrogen compounds which help in maintaining the level of nitrogen in the soil required for the growth of other crops. At that time soybean was not eaten. Chinese found that soybean has got many natural toxins which could not be destroyed in conventional cooking. These toxins are strong inhibitors that block digestive enzymes. The toxins are deeply imbedded proteins which produce serious gastric disorders and block absorption of essential amino acids. Soy contain compounds known as goitrogens that depress thyroid function. The soybean found its way to the dinning table only after fermentation was discovered in the form of fermented food like soy-sauce and miso. Soybeans come largely from genetically engineered plants.

Soy Controversy

In past few months there have been some research which claims that soy is not that good for health. There are many different opinions on soy consumption. So, here are few facts about soy and the related facts.

Soy contains phytoestrogen, which is a plant compound that mimic estrogen in the body. This is helpful in fighting against diseases like cancer, coronary heart diseases and osteoporosis. But, recent studies have found that phytoestrogen can increase breast cancer and cause thyroid disease. This works as anti estrogen which means that it may block natural estrogen from reaching the cells’ estrogen receptors. So, it is safe to say that soy is probably beneficial when the breasts are developing in girls, making them less vulnerable to cancer. Pre-menopausal women have a high level of natural estrogen in their body, the plant estrogen present in soy may compete with natural estrogen and may be beneficial. On the other hand, post-menopause women have low levels of natural estrogen so, the plant estrogens taken in  form of soy may increase the risk of breast cancer. Soy supplements may also interfere with tamoxifen which is an anti-estrogen drug taken by women to help prevent cancer.

We still don’t have enough data based on studies which show an increased or decreased risk of breast cancer among women eating soy. The American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) states that soy eaten in early life may help protect against breast cancer when women grow older whereas the American Cancer Society suggests people at risk for breast cancer should not consume soy.

Intake of soy is loosely associated with reduced testosterone level in men. Moreover, it is too early to say that soy helps in building bones because we still don’t have enough studies showing the positive results. There is still time to get results from long-term studies but it looks like that soy doesn’t reverse bone loss. The clinical studies have demonstrated that soy food has very little or no effect on thyroid functioning in healthy bodies, but people taking thyroid supplements need 25% more medication if their diet includes soy. Soy may cause less absorption of the medication, and thus medication is excreted in the stool. Take your physicians advice when you are consuming soy diet and on thyroid supplements.

While the studies on soy continue and we await results sitting back, it is best to include the moderate amount of soy in food as a part of healthy diet.

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Posted under Food Facts.