HEALTH BENEFITS OF SOY

Soy protein is of very high caliber - you will obtain all of your essential amino acids when consuming the recommended levels of protein in your diet in the form of soy protein. However, just including soy into a non-vegetarian diet is also a very healthful contribution.

Americans consume too much meat protein, and this adversely affects our cancer (excess protein is tumor-promoting) and heart disease rates. Meat is loaded with saturated fats and cholesterol leading to elevated cholesterol and hardening of the arteries. Too much protein leads to overweight and obesity, a risk factor for elevated cholesterol, and a direct cause of decreased exercise, which is again a risk factor for increasing weight.

Other populations who consume less meat protein and include more soy protein are generally healthier in terms of certain lower disease rates and "diseases of affluence" like breast, colon, and prostate cancer to name a few. Other medical conditions like heart disease, diabetes, osteoporosis, and menopausal symptoms are also less prevalent. Soy's unique phytochemical genistein, is important for both men and women. Based upon epidemiological data, men can look to lower risks for prostate and colon cancer and younger women to lower risks for breast cancer and other estrogen-dependent cancers.

For all individuals, higher soy intake has led to lower cholesterol levels and lower blood pressure readings. Diabetics have noticed less fluctuation in their blood sugar readings, which have also been easier to control. Asthmatics have noticed improved control of their disease as soy has a natural anti-inflammatory component in its essential fatty acids (EFA's). EFA's seem to have their effect mostly through their anti-inflammatory properties - they enter the same anti-inflammation pathway as the prescription arthritis medications. Arthritics have enjoyed these anti-inflammatory benefits while sufferers with skin conditions like eczema and psoriasis have noticed quite marked improvement in their skin from these anti-inflammatory essential fatty acids!

The message to post-menopausal women who are considering hormone replacement therapy is strong. Because of some noted health risks of using conjugated estrogens and medroxyprogesterone, especially in women with a history of blood clots, breast cancer, etc., the availability of soy products and the growing scientific backing make soy consumption an easy, potential alternative to alleviating symptoms with prescription medications. Soy is a good source of phytoestrogens, estrogen-like compounds from plants. Phytoestrogens are not estrogen, yet in some tissues of the body they act like estrogen (decreasing hot flashes and lowering total cholesterol, for example), but in other areas they act the opposite way - in the breast, which may actually lower the risk of breast cancer). Hence, using soy instead of estrogen will decrease your incidence of cancer based upon some retrospective epidemiologic studies.

Soy isoflavones can be used to treat menopausal symptoms. Some studies have shown the effectiveness of soy for reducing hot flashes and vaginal dryness. In addition, some animal studies have suggested that soy isoflavones may have some benefit for preventing bone loss. However, there are no studies on humans yet that have shown similar effects.

While soy cannot yet be recommended as a replacement for prescription hormone replacement therapy, as studies proving its benefit for osteoporosis prevention are still underway, ALL of this indicates that should you desire a healthful alternative to estrogen/progesterone therapy for postmenopausal symptoms - consuming soy with 40-50 mg of isoflavone content per day may obviate the need for prescription hormone drug therapy!

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Copyright formyhealth.com
Last revised: August 22, 2004

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