Top Ten Reasons Soy is Good For You
1) Soy foods and Diabetes
May slow absorption of glucose into the bloodstream.
May also protect against damaging effects of glucose-induced oxidation, common in people with diabetes.
2) Soy foods and Reduced Cancer Risk
Rich in phytochemicals (plant-chemicals). While not nutrients, may be important for overall health and in particular, for reducing risk of cancer.
3) Soy foods and Osteoporosis
Soy protein helps conserve body calcium better than that of animal protein.
Compounds in soy called isoflavones may simultaneously increase bone formation while decreasing bone breakdown.
4) Soy foods and Heart Disease
Soybeans are extremely low in saturated fat and free of cholesterol.
Consuming 25 grams of soy protein daily has shown to lower blood cholesterol.
Beyond cholesterol reduction, soy foods may favorably affect other risk factors for heart disease (i.e, makes arteries more flexible). Therefore, soy may be helpful for everyone, not just those with high cholesterol.
5) Soy foods and Menopause
May play a role in regulating menopausal symptoms like hot flashes and night sweats.
Asian women, regular consumers of soy, do not experience the unpleasant symptoms of menopause; soy may be the reason.
6) Soy foods and Breast Cancer
Animal studies have found that adding soy to the diet reduces the number of breast tumors by 25 to 50 percent. Therefore, becoming a regular soy consumer early in life may be particularly important.
7) Soy foods Meet Protein Needs
Soy protein is a complete protein. It is equal in quality to animal proteins, such as that found in milk and meat. Soy has been recognized as such in the new USDA food guidelines.
8) Soy foods and Kidney Health
Evidence shows the type of protein in soy foods does not affect the kidneys in the same way animal proteins do. Soy protein does not cause the kidneys to work as hard as they must to break down animal protein. In susceptible individuals, substituting soy protein for animal protein may reduce the risk of developing kidney disease.
9) Soy foods and Prostate Cancer
Studies indicate soy components may delay onset of tumor growth and decrease size of tumors present.
As little as one serving of soy foods a day (ex: one cup soy milk or 1/2 cup tofu) may be enough to reduce the risk of developing prostate cancer.
10) Soy foods as Part of a Healthy Diet
Making soy a part of the diet is one of the best defenses against disease.
These facts were taken from information prepared by Mark Messina, Ph.D., author of The Simple Soybean and Your Health.