My question is regarding food nutrition. soya bean foods, r they healthy. does the soya protein do good?

Question

i hav heard from a friend that soya is dangerous , cause its a cancer agent is that right?.

Answer 1

Soya proteins contain isoflavones that can mimic a weak oestrogen effect. It's not the same as the oestrogen your own body makes though - it is 1,000 times weaker than your own body's oestrogen. There are other plants that contain oestrogen too.

There is NO scientific evidence that soya causes, prevents, contributes to or affects the progress of cancer, including oestrogen positive breast cancer, which is the one most often cited, though there are concerns. There are also those in the field who argue that isoflavones may be of help in preventing breast cancer or be beneficial to women who have had breast cancer.

There is current research into whether increasing phyto oestrogens in the diet helps to prevent breast or prostate cancer, and a study  in 2002 found that women with the highest levels of soya products in their diets had the lowest breast density. Higher breast density is associated with higher breast cancer risk. This is the first time that soya has been found to have a direct effect on breast tissue.

Women with the highest levels of isoflavones in their diet are reported to have significant risk reductions for uterine cancer.

On the balance of evidence, I'd say keep eating the soya - but in moderation

Answer 2

There has been a lot of negative press about soya, but is it really that bad for you?

Soya is certainly not bad for you. The diets followed by people living in many far eastern countries contain sizeable amounts of soya and these nations have considerably lower levels of cancer and heart disease than their western counterparts.

  

Indeed, soya has actually been shown to contain nutrients that have a positive effect on both cholesterol and the potential cancer creating toxins in our bodies.

Soya is also an excellent source of protein and many essential vitamins and minerals.

The majority of soya's bad press comes from its links to thyroid problems and hormone imbalance. Soya can slow down your thyroid, causing the entire body to function at an inadequate rate, but this only happens if you consume huge quantities. As long as you eat soya as part of a balanced diet there is no risk.

In terms of hormones, yes soya can have a significant effect but it's very much a positive one. Studies have shown that soya's active ingredients can help correct hormones that have moved out of balance. Indeed, there has not been a single reported case of soya having an adverse affect on a woman's hormones.

Answer 3

Fluffycat you are right about soybeans being a nutritional mainstay in several countries and they are credited with having good health.

But unfortunately, they eat the raw soybean, called edamame, and they are usually lightly steamed. Soya is usually the protein isolate that is extracted using highly carcinogen chemicals, and then a preservative, with other artificial stuff if it is with sugar and flavors, before it gets put into a container.

The countries also eat small portions of the soybean in relation to rice and other vegetables. Here in the States is easy for a vegetarian/vegan to have fakin bacon made from soy isolated protein (soya) with soymilk for breakfast, and then soy yogurt or fake deli meats for lunch, and then a chick'n (soy bean isolate fake meat) for dinner. Now that is a whole lot of soybean for one day!