{"id":22045,"date":"2025-01-09T08:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-01-09T14:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/naturalwomanhood.org\/?p=22045"},"modified":"2025-03-03T12:04:28","modified_gmt":"2025-03-03T18:04:28","slug":"%d0%bf%d0%be%d0%bb%d0%b5%d0%b7%d0%bd%d0%b0-%d0%b8%d0%bb%d0%b8-%d0%b2%d1%80%d0%b5%d0%b4%d0%bd%d0%b0-%d1%81%d0%be%d1%8f-%d0%b4%d0%bb%d1%8f-%d0%b7%d0%b4%d0%be%d1%80%d0%be%d0%b2%d1%8c%d1%8f","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/naturalwomanhood.org\/ru\/is-soy-healthy-or-unhealthy-for-you\/","title":{"rendered":"\u042f\u0432\u043b\u044f\u0435\u0442\u0441\u044f \u043b\u0438 \u0441\u043e\u044f \u043f\u043e\u043b\u0435\u0437\u043d\u043e\u0439 \u0438\u043b\u0438 \u0432\u0440\u0435\u0434\u043d\u043e\u0439 \u0434\u043b\u044f \u0432\u0430\u0441?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

With over four billion<\/a> bushels of soybeans produced each year in the US alone, odds are, soy is part of your diet in one form or another. It might be in traditional ways like a hearty breakfast of natt\u014d (fermented whole soybeans) and hot, fresh soy milk. It might be in a processed form, like that protein bar at the bottom of your purse. It may serve as a meat substitute to add protein to a vegetarian diet. Or it may simply be what your steak ate before it became a steak.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The fact that soy products take so many different forms is part of what makes the great soy debate so complicated. You may have encountered various takes on soy online or on social media that proclaim soy to be either a poisonous scourge on our diets, a miracle-cure superfood, or somewhere in the middle. So, is soy healthy or unhealthy? Well, it\u2019s complicated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why soy poses an interesting health question<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Soy is a complete source of protein and a good source of fiber and minerals like potassium and magnesium, but what makes soy (and other legumes) an interesting food group to study is its isoflavones. According to Harvard School of Public Health<\/a>, isoflavones are a type of plant estrogen that can have either weak estrogenic (acts as an estrogen) or weak antiestrogenic (blocks estrogen) effects in the body. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because soy affects estrogen in the body, it could potentially impact the reproductive system, cardiovascular system, estrogen-sensitive cancers, menopause symptoms, and more. In general, we expect isoflavones to be antiestrogenic if there are higher levels of estrogen already present and estrogenic if there are low levels of estrogen in the body. Thus, the effects of soy on the body might depend on factors like whether a person is pre- or post-menopausal (or male or female). This might be the reason behind why some studies have shown<\/a> soy to work as a hot flash remedy in some women, or why it might lower rates of breast cancer in some women and rates of prostate cancer in some men. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To be clear, isoflavones are not<\/em> estrogen. Their chemical structure is similar in certain ways that influence estrogen receptors in the body, but plant hormones are much less potent than animal hormones, including the hormones in animal products like milk.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not all soy is created equal<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Different soy products contain different amounts of isoflavones. For example, this comparison chart<\/a> from Harvard shows how a three-ounce serving of miso (a fermented soybean paste) has only half the isoflavones a three-ounce serving of natt\u014d has, perhaps because of the different methods of fermentation used to create each food. Also, in highly processed soy products such as protein bars, up to 90% of isoflavones may be lost during processing [1]. How soy is prepared also affects the amount of lectins, proteins that can cause gut irritation in high quantities. According to Healthline<\/a>, boiling, fermenting, or sprouting soy reduces the amount of lectins, but simply roasting them does not.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Besides the type of soy product, there are a variety of factors that affect how soy is digested and processed in the body. One is farming practices, such as use of herbicides like glyphosate<\/a> (Roundup) that are known to negatively affect cells<\/a> and could contribute to inflammation [2][3]. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your personal gut microbiome might determine whether soy is healthy or unhealthy for you<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Another factor is personal genetics and microbiome<\/a>. In a 2016 study<\/a> on soy and health, the author notes, \u201cIn regard to isoflavone metabolism, a striking difference among individuals is that only about 25% of non-Asians and 50% of Asians host the intestinal bacteria that convert daidzein [the type of isoflavonoid found in soybeans] into the isoflavonoid equol. In 2002, Setchell et al. proposed that those individuals who host these bacteria are more likely to benefit from soyfood consumption.\u201d [1]\n\n\n\n

So, some people are able to convert the isoflavones found in soy into a specific metabolite, equol, because they have specific bacteria in their gut that are able to do so. Some scientists hypothesize<\/a> that equol is more beneficial to the body than the unmetabolized isoflavones, so the benefits of soy consumption may be dependent on a person\u2019s specific microbiome [4].<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What do studies say about whether soy is healthy or unhealthy? (And what they don\u2019t say)<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes, research study authors craft a snappy headline for a study\u2019s publication in a journal, while the study itself is far more nuanced. It always helps to follow the citations (and to make sure sources are cited!) to follow up on big claims and decide for yourself what implications a study may have.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some questions to ask when considering health claims about soy:<\/p>\n\n\n\n