Soy and Your Health Part 1

Review of article written by Dr. Messina
Dr. Mark Messina is an adjunct associate professor at Loma Linda University and the Executive
Director of the Soy Nutrition Institute. He has been studying the health effects of soy for more
than 20 years and has published more than 60 scientific papers and given more than 500
presentations on soyfoods to health professionals.

This article contained much information soy and its benefits. I will summarize a little bit about soy and then the benefits of it.

Soybeans are unique among legumes because they are much higher in protein and fat than other beans, and lower in carbohydrate. The fat in soybeans is primarily a combination of heart-healthy essential polyunsaturated omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids. This makes soybeans one of the few plant foods to provide both of the essential fatty acids. Soybeans are perhaps best known for their high protein content. Protein in soy is very well digested; digestion typically exceeds 90 percent.

Research suggests that incorporating soyfoods into the diet may decrease LDL-cholesterol (the
bad cholesterol) by as much as 8%. When soyfoods replace conventional sources of
protein in western diets, saturated fat intake is reduced and polyunsaturated fat intake is
increased. As a result, blood cholesterol levels will be lowered.

Breast Cancer Risk
In Asian countries, where soyfoods are a usual part of the diet, breast cancer rates are much
lower than in western countries. This observation helped fuel speculation that soyfoods reduce
breast cancer risk. However, after years of research, it is not clear that women who begin to
consume soyfoods in adulthood will lower their risk of cancer. Rather, the protective effects
appear to be related to early soy consumption. That is, women who consumed these foods in
childhood and/or the teen years may have a lower risk for breast cancer later in life. Protective
effects of soy are thought to be due to actions of soy isoflavones on the developing breast in
ways which make breast cells more resistant to being transformed into cancer cells later in life. Studies conducted in China and the United States show that the consumption of modest
amounts of soy—1 to 1 ½ servings per day—is associated with a 25 to 50% reduction in risk.
Although the hypothesis that early soy intake is protective against breast cancer remains
speculative, because the amount of soy needed for benefit is modest and soyfoods provide good
nutrition, there is no reason to wait for the results of future research before encouraging young
girls to consume soy.

Since this article was very long, I will continue in part 2