Healthy Benefits of Soy:


Soy has been part of the Southeast Asian diet for nearly five millenia, whereas consumption of soy in the
United States and Western Europe has been limited to the 20th century. Heavy consumption of soy in
Southeast Asian populations is associated with reduction in the rates of certain cancers and cardiovascular
diseases. Recent experimental evidence suggests that phytochemicals in soy are responsible for its beneficial
effects, which may also include the prevention of osteoporosis, cancers, obesity, and autoimmune
diseases.

It is known that the beneficial effects of soy are largely attributed to the fact that soy provides an uniquely rich
dietary source of isoflavones, genistein and daidzein.  

Isoflavones are a class of phytoestrogens found predominantly in legumes and beans. Soy isoflavones are
heterocyclic phenols with structural similarity to estradiol-17beta and selective estrogen receptor modulators.
Estrogen is important for maintaining bone density in women. Postmenopausal women often suffer
osteoporosis due to reduced production of estrogen in their body. Consumption of soy supplements the
postmenopausal women with biologically active phytoestrogens, preventing bone loss and increasing bone
density.

Both genistein and isoflavones in soy have been shown to inhibit tumor formation. It has also been proven that
soy consumption reduces cancers in humans. Such cancers include breast cancer in women, ovarian cancer
in women, and prostate cancer in men.

In October 1999, FDA authorized the use of food labels with health claims associated with soy protein and the
reduced risk of coronary heart disease (Vincent A et al. 2000. Soy isoflavones: Are they useful in
menopause? Mayo Clin Proc. 2000 Nov;75(11):1174-84. Review. Click to read).

Several studies have indicated that a total daily intake of 25 g of soy protein paired with a low-fat diet
results in clinically important reductions of total cholesterol and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels
(Vincent A et al. 2000. Soy isoflavones: Are they useful in menopause? Mayo Clin Proc. 2000 Nov;75(11):
1174-84. Review. Click to read)  .

The following is a very small sample of scientific reports on the healthy benefits of soy:


Soy consumption reduces cholesterol and prevents heart disease

  • Valachovicova T, et al. 2004. Cellular and physiological effects of soy flavonoids. Mini Rev Med Chem.
    2004 Oct;4(8):881-7. (Click to read).

  • Roselle MS, et al. 2004. Soy intake and blood cholesterol concentrations: a cross-sectional study of
    1033 pre- and postmenopausal women in the Oxford arm of the European Prospective Investigation into
    Cancer and Nutrition. Am J Clin Nutr. 2004 Nov;80(5):1391-6. (Click to read)

  • Finking Beate Hess H Hanke G. 1999. The value of phytoestrogens as a possible therapeutic option in
    postmenopausal women with coronary heart disease. J Obstet Gynaecol. 1999;19(5):455-9. (Click to
    read)

  • Anderson J et al. 1999. Health potential of soy isoflavones for menopausal women. Public Health Nutr.
    1999 Dec;2(4):489-504. (Click to read).

  • Vincent A et al. 2000. Soy isoflavones: Are they useful in menopause? Mayo Clin Proc. 2000 Nov;75
    (11):1174-84. Review. (Click to read)

Soy consumption increases cognition in women

  • Celec P, et al. 2004. Endocrine and Cognitive Effects of Short-Time Soybean Consumption in Women.
    Gynecol Obstet Invest. 2004 Nov 3;59(2):62-66. (Click to read)

Soy milk prevents hot flashes, and bone loss in postmenopausal women

  • Lydeking-Olsen E et al. 2004. Soymilk or progesterone for prevention of bone loss--a 2 year
    randomized, placebo-controlled trial. Eur J Nutr. 2004 Aug;43(4):246-57. Epub 2004 Apr 14. (Click to
    read)

  • Chen YM, et al. 2004. Beneficial effect of soy isoflavones on bone mineral content was modified by
    years since menopause, body weight, and calcium intake: a double-blind, randomized, controlled trial.
    Menopause. 2004 May-Jun;11(3):246-54. (Click to read)

  • Valachovicova T, et al. 2004. Cellular and physiological effects of soy flavonoids.  Mini Rev Med Chem.
    2004 Oct;4(8):881-7. (Click to read).  

  • Yamori Y, et al. 2002. Soybean isoflavones reduce postmenopausal bone resorption in female
    Japanese immigrants in Brazil: a ten-week study. J Am Coll Nutr. 2002 Dec;21(6):560-3. (Click to read)

  • Ho SC, et al. 2001. Soy intake and the maintenance of peak bone mass in Hong Kong Chinese women.
    J Bone Miner Res. 2001 Jul;16(7):1363-9.(Click to read)

  • Anderson J et al. 1999. Health potential of soy isoflavones for menopausal women. Public Health Nutr.
    1999 Dec;2(4):489-504. (Click to read).


Soy consumption may reduce prostate cancers in man, and ovarian and breast cancers in women

  • Holzbeierlein JM, et al. 2005. The role of soy phytoestrogens in prostate Cancer. Curr Opin Urol. 2005
    Jan;15(1):17-22. (Click to read)

  • Ravindranath MH, et al. 2004. Anticancer therapeutic potential of soy isoflavone, genistein. Adv Exp
    Med Biol. 2004;546:121-65.(Click to read)

  • Greenwald P. 2004. Clinical trials in cancer prevention: current results and perspectives for the future. J
    Nutr. 2004 Dec;134(12 Suppl):3507S-3512S. (Click to read).

  • Valachovicova T, et al. 2004. Cellular and physiological effects of soy flavonoids.  Mini Rev Med Chem.
    2004 Oct;4(8):881-7. (Click to read).  

  • Valachovicova T, et al. Soy isoflavones suppress invasiveness of breast cancer cells by the inhibition of
    NF-kappaB/AP-1-dependent and -independent pathways. Int J Oncol. 2004 Nov;25(5):1389-95. (Click
    to read)

  • Hang M, et al. 2004. Soy and isoflavone intake are associated with reduced risk of ovarian cancer in
    southeast china. Nutr Cancer. 2004;49(2):125-30.(Click to read)