Hello everyone and welcome back to my blog. In this week’s blog post let’s talk about soy and the common misconceptions associated with soy foods and whether they are deemed healthy. This was a very controversial topic 10 years ago, and to this day the majority of the population believe that soy foods aren’t good for us. Let’s talk about it.
I hope you all have had a wonderful week. Thank you for the love on last week’s post, so many of you loved it and I am so grateful. Jacob’s pictures always make my blog posts 100 times better.
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Myth 1. Consuming Soy Products Increases your risk of breast cancer.
Dated rodent studies suggest that soy consumption increased your risk of breast cancer. We now know that this is NOT true. There are now an abundance of research to suggest that soy is not only safe, but beneficial and it is deemed safe by many health bodies including the World Health Organisation.
Soya products like soya milk and tempeh have been associated with a decreased risk of breast cancer and with breast cancer reoccurrence. The most up-to-date research conducted on humans found that soya foods can be protective against breast cancer and other hormone-related cancers.
There is even some preliminary evidence to suggest that the consumption of soya foods is associated with a decreased risk of prostate cancer in men. However, there is not enough research to conclude this as of yet.
Myth 2. Men who Consume Soy Foods become more “Feminine”.
This common myth refers to isoflavones (a compound within soya products) that can mimic the action of oestrogen (the female hormone). Oestrogen is found in men, in the form of estradiol, in smaller quantities. There is no valid research to suggest that men who eat soy foods have an increased level of oestrogen and therefore, gain female characteristics!
Dated evidence on rodents suggests that there may have been adverse health effects associated with soya consumption in men. We now know that this is NOT true and that rodents metabolize isoflavones differently than humans.
Soya products are a healthy food that makes a fantastic addition to our diets, particularly for women but also for men. Soy is rich in many nutrients including calcium, protein, and fiber.
It has been a long time coming for us to dispel these myths about soy foods. We are now learning the potent and extensive health benefits associated with soy consumption.
Why Should You Add Soy Products to Your Diet?
Soy-containing foods such as soya milk, tempeh, tofu, edamame beans, soya yogurt, and soya beans are rich in calcium, isoflavones, vitamin E, fiber, protein, and many other essential compounds.
High to medium consumption of soy foods has been associated with a decrease in hot flashes in menopausal and post-menopausal women, increased fat loss (especially when combined with exercise – in this particular study, walking), bone health, and breast cancer prevention and prevention of reoccurrence.
It is also rich in many plant nutrients which help to lower saturated fat in the diet and to reduce cholesterol, improving heart health.
How Much Soya Should I Eat?
The research suggests that 1-2 servings of soy-containing products per day is ideal, with an upper limit of 4 servings per day. This equates to one cup of soya milk and a half cup of tempeh, tofu, and soybeans. The upper limit exists to ensure that we do not eat too much of one food, and therefore, decrease the variety of foods in our diet, not because 4 servings would be particularly harmful. Be careful of soy protein powders as they do not contain beneficial isoflavones.
I hope this blog post has convinced you that soy foods are a healthy addition to your diet. Grab some soya yogurt or tempeh in this week’s shop!
I hope you loved this blog post!
Check out this week’s podcast for more:
References
“Neither soyfoods nor isoflavones warrant classification as endocrine disruptors: a technical review of the observational and clinical data” https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10408398.2021.1895054
As always, thank you for reading.
Mairi
Let's Talk Health with Mairi 