Soy, too much a bad thing?

[Jen Henager VoParticipant]

As soy has become vastly popular in the american diet because of its appearance in many processed foods are we consuming too much? Recently I came across a blog, that stated three negative things regarding soy; soy can mimic estrogen in the body and can lead to testosterone imbalance in men and in women estrogen dominance, soy does not provide vitamin B12 and can even lead the body to lack it, and lastly that the lectins present in soy can irritate the intestines of individuals with gluten sensitivity. Now after reading this,and not to say that I solely get my nutrition information from this person’s blog but it does raise some interesting points, so my question to a nutritionist is what are the benefits of consuming soy?

[Damon JoynerParticipant]

Soy consumption has become quite popular for meat replacement in the past 20 years, especially due to its high protein and low saturated fat content. There has been an impressive amount of research evaluating the benefits and possible consequences of soy consumption often with mixed conclusions. A review by Messina found that soybeans can be effective in reducing the risk of coronary heart disease independent of one’s cholesterol status as well as lowering risk for breast cancer (as long as soy was consumed during the early adolescent years)(1). Messina also found moderate evidence to support the claims that soy consumption could lower the risk of bone fracture in the elderly. Much of the reasoning for these benefits is attributed to the high content of isoflavones, an estrogen like factor found in soy. Other studies have found that soy consumption can lower the effects of hot flashes in menopausal women as well as benefiting arterial health in adults with cardio metabolic risk(2, 3).

1. Messina M. Insights gained from 20 years of soy research. Journal of Nutrition. 2010; 140(12): 2289-2295.
2. Li L, Lv Y, Xu L, Zheng Q. Quantitative efficacy of soy isoflavones on menopausal hot flashes. British Journal of Clinical Pharmacology. 2014; 10: 101-111.
3. Reverri E, LaSalle C, Franke A, Steinberg F. Soy provides modest benefits on endothelial function without affecting inflammatory biomarkers in adults at cardio metabolic risk. Molecular Nutrition and Food Research. 2015; 59(2): 323-333.

• This reply was modified 9 years, 1 month ago by  Damon Joyner.

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