Soy and Your Health Part 2

Review of article 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.

Prostrate Cancer
Studies show that Asian men who consume about two servings of soyfoods daily are about 30 to 50% less likely to have prostate cancer than Asian men who consume little soy. Some evidence also shows that, in men with prostate cancer, eating soyfoods may slow the rise of blood levels of prostate specific
antigen (PSA), a protein associated with tumor growth.

Osteoporosis
Because isoflavones exert estrogen-like effects under certain circumstances, scientists have been
studying whether soyfoods reduce risk of osteoporosis. Two important studies show that among
Asian postmenopausal women, those who are in the upper quarter of soy intake are about onethird
less likely to suffer a fracture.

Hot Flashes
The drop in estrogen levels that occurs in menopause is linked with the onset of hot flashes. The
estrogen-like properties of isoflavones may be one reason why western women report having hot
flashes to a much greater extent than women in Japan. On average, isoflavones produce a 50% decrease in
the frequency and severity of hot flashes. The amount of isoflavones found in two servings of
traditional soyfoods appears to be sufficient to produce this benefit.

Based on Asian intake as well as the amounts of soy shown to be beneficial in clinical
studies, a good goal is to consume about 15 to 25 grams of soy protein per day. These amounts
are provided by about 2 to 4 servings of soyfoods.