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Soy: The Wonder Bean
Article by herbalist
Dave
Hawkins, MH, CNC
Soy based foods have been
making headlines again in the news with their
cancer preventing properties, aiding in women’s health concerns
like menopause and osteoporosis, cholesterol lowering
effects, and their ability to aid liver and brain
functions.
Soybeans have been used for over 5,000 years in
Asian countries. Epidemiological studies have shown that
the Asian diet consists of over 30 percent soy based. These
studies also show a lower incidence of breast and prostate
cancer, PMS, menopausal and other disease processes as
compared with a typical American lifestyle where little or
no soy is eaten.
We in the
United States have been
using the soybean mostly in this century, and most
Americans consume very little soy-based products like tofu,
tempeh, soymilk and other soy
products. Soy, however, is the base for many meat
substitutes and is used in infant formulas and protein
powders.
In addition to being
a
source of complete protein, soy is rich in many essential
nutrients including, calcium, zinc, and b vitamins.
Lecithin is one of the fatty acid components of soy
as well as phosphtidylcholine
and phosphtydlserine, both of
which work with the liver and the brain. This article will
deal with another compound of
soybeans called
isoflavones, which are a class
of phytoestrogens (plant
based).
Phytoestrogens
are estrogen-like compounds found in plants. They have
slight hormonal and sometimes hormonal blocking properties
without being true steroids. Research has shown that
phytoestrogens offer limited
protection against numerous health conditions including,
breast, bowel, prostate, and other cancers, heart disease,
poor brain function, alcohol abuse, osteoporosis, and
menopausal symptoms.
Over the past three years,
soy isoflavones have been the
subject of over 1,000 articles published in scientific and
medical journals. Two isoflavones
found in soy predominately are
genistein and daidzein.
Research suggests that these
isoflavones act in four distinct ways: as estrogens,
antiestrogens, cancer enzyme
inhibitors and as antioxidants and immune enhancers.
The estrogen and
antiestrogen effects of
isoflavones have been well
researched. Because isoflavones
are similar in structure to true estrogen they have shown
benefits to women seeking alternatives to estrogen or
hormone replacement therapy specifically in situations of
hysterectomies and in the prevention of osteoporosis.
The
interesting effect of being
antiestrogenic is being researched in dealing with
excess estrogen conditions such as hormonal driven cancers
and excess estrogen during PMS.
Isoflavones are very weak being only 1/1000th the
strength of true estrogen. They have a tendency to bind to
estrogen receptor sites thus not allowing for excess
estrogen to affect tissues negatively.
The cancer enzyme inhibiting
properties of isoflavones are
complex but have been well researched. Researchers believe
that isoflavones inhibit the
cancer enzyme that allows for cancerous tumors to develop
blood vessels (angiogenesis) that will allow the tumor to
grow and expand.
The antioxidant
effect of
isoflavones help to reduce free radical
damage to the body. Genistein
may also increase the production of SOD (Super Oxide
Dismutase), a potent
antioxidant. In cancer preventive studies
genistein has shown to inhibit
the ability of cancer causing compounds
to become
activated.
The immune enhancing
properties are related to the
isoflavone diadzein and
the ability to increase specific white cell activity.
Some of the conditions where
isoflavones can prevent or
minimize the symptoms are with menopause (hot flashes),
bone density, and heart disease. There are numerous studies
that have shown positive results for women consuming soy
products. Hot flashes and bone loss are estrogen dependent.
In one study done at the Bowman Gray School
Of Medicine with 51
postmenopausal women, soy lessened menopausal symptoms,
lowered blood pressure and resulted in healthier blood
lipid profiles.
The medical researcher further noted that
there were no side effects from the treatment. In relation
to osteoporosis, especially in postmenopausal women,
synthetic estrogen is often recommended. European research
has shown that the isoflavone
of ipriflavone can prevent
increases in turnover and decreases in bone density.
This
can be beneficial due to the cancer risks of using
synthetic estrogens.
Soy derivatives have been
showing response in regards to heart disease by helping to
reduce overall cholesterol. Studies
show an increase in the
beneficial cholesterol of HDL and a reductions in LDL
cholesterol with participants using a
higher soy based diet.
So how does one begin to get
more soy based food into your body?
There are many ways to
increase the consumption of soy to assure that you are
getting these important isoflavones.
Yes, it is available in tablet or capsule form, but that is
not the best way and it is somewhat expensive.
We recommend
that you begin to eat soy in your daily diet. There are
many good soy products. Soymilk is a good source instead of
using milk. It can be used on cereals, in smoothies, used
in baking, for sauces and gravies. Soy granules can be
cooked with other cereal grains.
Begin to use tofu, which
is very versatile and absorbs whatever flavors you mix with
it. I like the fermented soy tempeh
because it is high in vitamin B12 and tastes like chicken.
There are soy powders that have higher levels of
isoflavones that can be mixed
with juice that can help those that do not like the other
foods mentioned.
Soybeans by themselves can
be hard to digest for some people due to the
trypsin-inhibiting enzyme that
is usually destroyed in cooking. If this happens to you, be
sure to cook it extra long, take extra digestive enzymes,
or use the fermented forms mentioned above.
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