Soy Overview Information
Soy comes from soybeans. The beans can be processed into soy protein, which is a powder; soymilk, which is a beverage that may or may not be fortified with extracalcium from the soybeans; or soy fiber, which contains some of the fibrous parts of the bean.
Soy is used for high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and preventing diseases of theheart and blood vessels. It is also used for type 2 diabetes, asthma, lung cancer,endometrial cancer, prostate cancer, and thyroid cancer, as well as preventing weak bones (osteoporosis), and slowing the progression of kidney disease.
Other uses include treating constipation and diarrhea, as well as decreasing protein in the urine of people with kidney disease, improving memory, and treating muscle soreness caused by exercise.
Women use soy for breast pain, preventing breast cancer, preventing hot flashes afterbreast cancer, menopausal symptoms, and premenstrual syndrome (PMS).
In foods, soy is used as a milk substitute in infant feeding formulas, and as an alternative to cow's milk. Soybeans are eaten boiled or roasted. Soy flour is used as an ingredient in foods, beverages, and condiments.
The active ingredients in soy are called isoflavones. A study of the quality of commercially available soy supplements suggests that less than 25% of products contain within 90% of labeled isoflavone content. Paying more for a product doesn’t necessarily guarantee that the content shown on the label is accurate.
Soy contains "isoflavones" which are changed in the body to "phytoestrogens," which are similar to the hormone estrogen.