Soy is one of the largest elements in our diet that involves plant ingredients. Many debates have battled back and forth in the past 50 years on whether it has any benefits at all for us humans. It has shown to have benefits, for example the soy product tofu, which help with the cardiovascular side of things. It also helps with reducing the chance of having cancer and helps with weight loss. On the opposite side of things, there are some studies that may suggest an issue with soy in that it can stimulate other types of cancer to increase. Another issue that has been on the debate block is that it is a common allergy to many especially it is found in most of our food products.
This leaves the consumer in a frustration situation because as mentioned, it is found in many foods. Looking back in history, soy has a natural compound called the isoflavone. This is considered a phytosestorgens a type of flavonoid which many are familiar about. What is interesting is that phytosestorgens are found in all nature and that it is hard to find conclusive evidence if has benefits. One study back in the 40s looked at sheep that grazed areas which were full of this compound and many of them had issues with breeding or fertility issues. It could’ve been caused by an in balance in the hormones which is triggered by the plant that was consumed by the sheep. The study was not conclusive.
Later on in the 1950s, more than 80% of all soy is used in our animal feeds. It has turned into a multibillion dollar sector and has helped feed livestock at the global level. Like in the 40s, more research was done to see the effects of the Isoflavones on the animals. In the 60s, the concern started the shift from animals to humans on the possible negative effects because over 2 billion people at this time globally started to consume it on a daily basis. The biggest consumers at this time are the countries of Korea, Japan and China at 20 times the level as compared to North Americans. In the 70s, it started to get bigger in North America and many American had it in many of their foods. Now in the 80s, 90s and 2000, more strong research went back and forth on this debate again.
Reading all the studies has been mind blowing because they’re so much information on it. Current studies have shown that the natural soy state(plant base) is much more beneficial than that of soy that is processed in our foods. It has shown that plant base soy will benefit those with high risk of breast cancer and has shown benefits in many other illnesses. This really isn’t surprising as anything that is process is not good for you in the long run. A few examples of plant base soy products that are good for us are that of tempeh, tofu and edamame. All of these have been hitting mainstream America and you can find them as an important ingredient in many dishes of Health Niche restaurants.
Source - cnn.com