Health Benefits of Soy

What is soy? What are the health benefits of soy? Are soy products good for you?

Soy is short for soybean or soya bean. Soy bean seeds come in variety of colors such as black, brown and green. Among the products made from soybeans for human consumption are soya sauce, soy vegetable oil, soy milk, soy yogurt, soy flour, tofu, bean curd and soybean cake or tempeh.

Soy is good for your health because it contains a very high level of dietary protein and all the eight essential amino acids that your body needs. Humans cannot produce these amino acids and must obtain from food or drinks. Soy bean is a good source.

A research done suggested that substituting animal protein with soy protein may reduce the bad LDL cholesterol. Since it is high in protein, soy has been marketed as a product for enhancing exercise performance. Soy milk is also a good replacement for animal based milk. People who are intolerant to traditional milk, vegetarians and vegans will benefit from eating or drinking soy products.

The health benefits of soy are also obtained from the other nutrients found in soy been seeds. There are dietary fiber, vitamin B, vitamin C, vitamin K, calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium and zinc. Another soy benefits include the presence of isoflavones, a plant compound.

In fact, soy beans and foods made from soy bean seeds, especially tempeh, contain the highest amount of isoflavones compared to any other plants. Since isoflavones has estrogenic activity, eating soy may help treat menopausal symptoms, decrease the risk of breast cancer in women and prostate cancer in men. It is also claimed from studies made on Indonesians who consume a lot of tempeh show that they have better memory.

Another one of the benefits of soy is that it contains monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids, both omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. Omega 3 is an essential fatty acid and since humans cannot produce it, they must get it from food. Omega-3 may help balance your cholesterol levels, improve cardiovascular health and enhance your immune system. Omega-6 may help reduce symptoms of arthritis, skin problems and speed up healing of wounds.

The dietary fiber in soy is beneficial for your colon health and your bowel. It may help increases the bulk of your stool and prevent constipation. Fiber also helps lower your cholesterol and control your blood sugar level. So including soy in your diet may contribute in reducing the risk of diabetes.

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Benefits of Soy Milk

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