Soybeans and soy products are staple foods in most Asian countries, and the popularity of soy has grown rapidly in Western countries as well. Soy is a protein-rich food that also contains many other important nutrients. You can consume a soy-based diet by incorporating more soybeans, soy milk, tofu, tempeh, soy burgers and soy cheese into your daily meals. Before you begin following a soy diet, talk with your doctor or a registered dietitian to discuss the proper amounts of soy to eat each day and the possible risks.
Nutrition
Soy is one of the most protein-rich plant-based foods, rivaling the protein content even of animal-derived foods, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. Aside from protein, soybeans are also well-known for their content of phytoestrogens called isoflavones, which bind to estrogen receptors and influence the effects of estrogen in your body. Soy contains the isoflavones known as genistein, glycitein and daidzein, states the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Additionally, soybeans provide other nutrients like carbohydrates, fiber and glucosides, as well as phospholipids like lecithin, oleic acid and linoleic acid. Soy contains various other vitamins and minerals as well, but in smaller amounts than these major nutrients.
Benefits
Eating more soybeans and soy products like tofu, tempeh and soy milk in your diet may offer several different health benefits, according to the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Most importantly, soy is rich in nutrients but low in fat, providing a healthier dietary alternative to other protein sources like fatty meats and whole-milk dairy products. Soy may also have potential heart-health benefits as well. In fact, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) allows soy products to bear a "heart-healthy" label, if the food product contains 6 ½ grams of soy. Specifically, soy appears to lower your levels of LDL or "bad cholesterol," which can help reduce your risk for heart disease, says the University of Maryland Medical Center. This is especially true if you follow a soy-based diet instead of a meat-based diet.
Potential
Soy may have the potential to help prevent or treat other medical conditions. Soy could help reduce your risks for osteoporosis and certain types of hormone-related cancers like breast, endometrial and prostate cancers, according to the University of Maryland Medical Center. The isoflavones in soy could help relieve menopausal symptoms like night sweats and hot flashes, particularly if you consume 20 to 60 grams per day of soy. Researchers have also studied soy for its potential benefits in helping to treat allergic rhinitis, ulcerative colitis, hypertension, cyclic mastitis, diabetes, osteoarthritis and menstrual migraines, notes the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. No widely-accepted, conclusive scientific evidence supports the use of a soy-based diet or soy products and supplements for any of these medicinal purposes, however.
Warning
In Asia, where soy is a common staple food, the average daily intake is 10 grams, according to the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. The typical amount of dietary soy intake recommended for reducing cholesterol is 25 grams per day, which is much higher. There are some concerns regarding very high dietary intake of soy, particularly for people who have or are at risk for hormone-related cancers. Because soy isoflavones can affect estrogen receptors in either increasing or decreasing the effects of estrogen in the body, the phytoestrogens in soy could actually stimulate the growth of cancer cells when you ingest large amounts. If you take high doses of supplements containing soy isoflavones, you may develop an increased risk for uterine, breast and other estrogen-sensitive cancers. These same risks aren't seen in consuming large amounts of soybean food products, however. Soy in your diet could pose other dangers, particularly if you consume large amounts. Soy contains larger amounts of potassium and phosphorus than animal-derived proteins, which could pose dangers for people with kidney disease, warns the University of Maryland Medical Center. Also, soy isoflavones can reduce your iodine levels, which could affect thyroid function and may even cause hypothyroidism in rare cases. Soy could inhibit the effects of the breast cancer drug tamoxifen and the osteoporosis medication raloxifene, as well as thyroid-hormone treatments.
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