Soy: how to consume it healthily

Soy is definitely inand not only as a nutritional supplement or “medication” in the form of tablets, but also as milk, soy yoghurt or tofu.

Soy is presented as a new panacea for health: good for cholesterol, heart, menopausal hot flashes, premenstrual syndrome. .. What is true about that?

The truth is studies on the medicinal effects of soy are already several decades old. They are based on population studies of millions of Asian women, in which, once the racial factor was eliminated, it was observed that the differences in various pathologies were closely linked to the diet, and within the oriental diet soybeans play a fundamental role. However, one must take into account the

What is soy and who can take it

soy is a legume very rich in proteins of excellent quality, with unsaturated fats and fiber, and that allows a healthy and balanced diet. Soy is the most consumed legume in the world.

In our country they like beans, chickpeas and lentils more, but in oriental countriessuch as India or China (which already account for almost half of the planet’s population), soybeans have no rival and It is part of the daily dishes.

It is worth this introduction to explain to the reader that, in general, soy and its food derivatives have no harmful effector in any case no harmful effect that outweighs the benefits of consuming it.

If soybeans had significant harmful effects, it would have been known for many years, and millions of people would have suffered from them.

The situation in western countries is something different, since soy does not have a food tradition.

Medicinal action of soy

Although less is eaten for food, it is consumed more in the form of tablets, shakes or “milks”, and preparations more or less elaborate (such as tofu, a kind of cottage cheese in this milkshake), in which an attempt has been made to concentrate the medicinal virtues of soy, basically linked to its isoflavones.

The studies on the medicinal action of soy are very numerous and significant, and all indicate that soy isoflavones exert a modulating action or modifier of the hormonal status of the human being or animal that consumes it.

This medicinal action of soy has been shown to have beneficial health effects countless times, but in some cases it can be counterproductivewhich has triggered the alarms of those who like soy or who have blindly trusted its properties.

Orally, the most common side effects of soybean consumption are meteorismhe constipation and in some cases even nausea. These are generally light effects and that on many occasions have also been associated with other legumes such as beans.

However, there are others problems derived from soy consumption.

Does soy compete with estrogen?

Isoflavones are plant estrogens.that is, chemical compounds with a nucleus very similar to human estrogens, the female hormone par excellence.

Estrogens configure many sexual characteristics and they act as part of the cycles of women and modulating them, although they also affect men.

However, the effectiveness of soy phytoestrogens is estimated to be about 200 times less to that of human hormones.

To explain it in a simplified way, estrogens, like many other hormones or biological substances of metabolism, They work through a system similar to that of the key and the lock: the hormone is a key that only opens a lock, and it binds to it to exert a biological activity.

Soy Phytoestrogens May Fit Human Estrogen Lockbut once in the lock, its activity is, as has been said, 200 times less, and in addition they prevent a human estrogen from entering that lock and exerting its much more powerful action.

This is called competitive inhibition and explains why phytoestrogens generally have a antiestrogenic action: by occupying the receptors, they usually inhibit their action.

But this is not always the case, since in certain individuals who consume a lot of phytoestrogens and a lot of soy, in the medium term Just the opposite has been observed: a weak or moderate proestrogenic action.

It has been attributed to the fact that, having the same structure as human estrogens, isoflavones they provide the body with the essential building blocks for the construction and synthesis of estrogens.

Soy Allergic Reactions

Soy can cause allergic reactionssuch as dermatitis and itchy skin.

It is known, from the industrial unloading of soybeans in ports, that soybean cuticle dust is allergenic in sensitive people and can aggravate asthma attacks.

A few years ago, the unloading of this legume in the port of Barcelona was immediately followed by hospital admissions of many residents of the area. They came for asthma attacks or exacerbations of respiratory failure, which led to regulating soybean unloading in ports.

Very allergic people they can experience such reactions at much lower exposures.

Soy in infants, yes or no?

Soy-based formulas have raised some problems by providing an unsuitable amino acid composition for infants: Although soy proteins are of excellent quality, they are not exactly the same as those of breast milk.

When the baby’s diet is excessively rich in soy, it can cause some hormonal change by the hormonal modulating action of isoflavones.

In experimental studies Some cases of infertility in adulthood have been observed in animalssince childhood is the time when the sexual organs mature.

It should be emphasized that the Doubts raised by soy milk formulas they are limited, as has been exposed, only to some experiments with laboratory animals.

It’s more, in infants allergic to lactose, formula is invariably soy-based, and in these cases no known health problem related to its consumption.

The soy and cancer debate

there is a Controversy regarding the consumption of soy in cases of breast cancer.

On the one hand, population studies indicate that it prevents its appearance and that diets rich in soy are undoubtedly associated with a lower incidence of this type of cancer (this relationship It has also been found in cases of prostate cancer, since both are hormone-dependent cancers that are harmed by the estrogenic environment in general).

However, some researchers suggest that due to its phytoestrogens, soy or its concentrates may be counterproductive in women who already have breast cancer. According to some preliminary studies, they may promote the proliferation of breast cancer cells.

For this same reason, the slight estrogenic effect of soy could also help increase endometrial dysplasiaa prelude to possible uterine cancer. Hormonally, this cancer responds to a stimulus inverse to that of breast cancer.: worsens in an antiestrogenic, or progestogenic, environment. But population studies say otherwise.that soy consumption also reduces endometrial cancer.

Other health problems attributed to soy

Soy products have been linked to goiter and hypothyroidism, especially in children who have taken only soy-based formulas. But the problems were also associated with a diet deficient in iodine. It has been postulated that any goitrogenic diet (rich in soybeans, cabbage, turnips, etc.) should be supplemented with iodine.

The consumption of a large amount offermented soybean products, such as soy sauce, miso, or tempehhas also been related to a discrete increase in stomach cancer.

However, this association seems due, more than to soybean itself, to the high salt content of some of these products or the addition of preservatives such as nitrates or nitrifying salts, common in low-quality fermented products.

The macrobiotic dietin which many of these products are consumed, may be deficient in fruits and vegetables, which would also increase the risk of stomach cancer.

Not all soy sauces are the same and it is convenient to choose those that have been made through a natural fermentation process. Unfortunately, commercial soy sauces with a high salt content and preservatives predominate in the marketand for whose elaboration the fermentation process has been forced.

Except in specific cases, the consumption of soy or its derivatives is harmless and has very few side effects.

Basic precautions for consuming soy

In conclusion, soy exerts an undoubted medicinal action and only rarely is it counterproductive. Regular consumption of soy in moderate amounts it has not been related to any health problem except in specific cases.

It is only important to have precautions:

Due to its slight estrogenic effect, soy isoflavone supplements are not recommended. in risk pregnanciesalthough they can be consumed as a food product. Only as a precaution it is advised not to supplement with isoflavones to people with breast or prostate cancer. Studies are conflicting, although most conclude that soy is beneficial. Soy is best avoided in case of allergic rhinitis and asthma, by soybean cuticle dust. Theoretically, soybeans worsen hypothyroidism since it inhibits the synthesis of thyroid hormone and increases thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH). Soybeans are rich in oxalates, so people with kidney stones formed by oxalates they should consume it in moderation.

If you take medication…

Antibiotics may decrease the action of isoflavones from soy, since they destroy the intestinal flora, necessary to convert food isoflavones into their biologically active forms.In theorysoy isoflavones can competitively inhibit estrogens indicated in hormone replacement therapy (HRT) by occupying estrogen receptors. Isoflavones may counteract the antitumor effects of the drug tamoxifenused basically in the secondary prevention of breast and prostate cancer. Soy proteins They can interfere with the absorption of non-heme iron. If iron supplements are taken it is best to consult a professional before taking large amounts of soy.