Walk around your local Grocery and it's easy to see that Soy is making huge advancements in both food quality and product diversity. There are soy yogurts, flour, cheese, tofu, milk, beans, snack/workout bars and a multitude of meat replacements like Soy "chicken" nuggets or Soy Salisbury "Steaks". And why not? Soy is a great plant-based protein, packed with vitamins and minerals, fiber, phytochemicals, and provides essential fatty acids. But as the use and availability of soy products has increased, so has Soy based confusion about Breast Cancer, Heart Disease, and Memory. So let's take a moment to sort out some of the facts from the fiction.
Soy and Breast Cancer: One of the major groups of phytochemicals in Soy, Isoflavones, is structurally simliar to Estrogen [1]. This structurally similarity has sparked an explosion of research into the potential protective effects of a diet high in Soy against cancers like Breast Cancer. However, the results have been a mixed bag. Some studies have shown lower rates of Breast Cancer in populations of high Soy consumption, but these results vary depending on the types of Soy products and amounts consumed. Unfortunately, recent research has also implicated Soy in an increase in the Breast Cancer rate for Post Menopausal women [1]. Much more research is needed to pin-down the actual link between Soy and Breast Cancer.
Take Home Message- Both the protective effects and potential risks in Breast Cancer are associated with high levels of Soy product consumption. Stick with the American Dietetic Association recommendation of up to 25 grams of Soy a day for the benefit without potential risks!
Soy and Heart Disease: There has been some controversy in the past about Soy's ability to lower "Bad" Cholesterol (LDL) levels and therefore decrease the risk for Heart Disease. However, earlier this year a Meta-analysis of the Soy/Heart Disease research of the past decade found that in the majority of studies there was a significant decrease in LDL levels when participants consumed 15-30 grams of Soy daily [2].
Take Home Message- Get one of your daily Protein servings from Soy and lower your risk of Heart Disease!
Soy and Memory: There's been a lot of buzz in recent years about Soy causing Memory loss. However, a search of Pubmed returned study after study showing cognitive improvement and memory boost from diets rich in soy, especially in Post Menopausal women and Elderly Men.
Take Home Message- Soy might help you boost your ability to memorize all those Amino Acids and Biochemical Pathways!
One Last Note: Remember, it's better to get your nutrients from real foods; so focus on Soy foods like Tofu and avoid Soy supplements and pills.
References:
1- Nagata C. Factors to consider in the association between soy isoflavone intake and breast cancer risk. J Epidemiol 2010;20(2):83-89.
2- Anderson JW, Bush HM. Soy protein effects on serum lipoproteins: a quality assessment and meta-analysis of randomized, controlled studies. J Am Coll Nutr. 2011;30(2): 79-91
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