Soy is a type of legume that originated in East Asia and is now consumed all over the World. Most vegans and vegetarians swear by it as it an amazing source of protein. It keeps you full for a very long time, and since it absorbs all the flavors added to it, it makes for a delicious meal. But is soy bean good for health? Soy has become one of the most controversial food items all across the globe. There are many options being posted regarding the pros and cons of incorporating a soy-rich meal in your day.
There are two very drastic views regarding this food. Some people consider it to be a super food while others think that it is very harmful to the hormonal balance in your body. Like most other food items it has two sides to the coin.
Health Benefits of Soybeans
There are many health benefits of soy
- Nutrient-rich- Whole soybeans contains a lot of different types of nutrients like calcium, vitamins, riboflavin and iron which is great for the body. It also contains a high amount of fiber and it is low in calories. It is a very good substitute for animal protein for people who cannot or do not consume any form of animal protein including milk.
- Reduce bad cholesterol level– It can decrease the cholesterol in your body. It has a very good impact on the level of cholesterol and brings it down as per studies.
- Good for the heart– Some results show that people who eat soy are less likely to have heart diseases. Since soy is good for the heart, it decreases the chances of getting problems like heart attacks and strokes.
- Reduce the chances of prostate cancer– There have been studies that showed that soy was able to reduce the risk of getting prostate cancer. This is the most common type of cancer in men, particularly at the old age.
- Reduce weight– It helps to reduce weight as it keeps your stomach full for a long time.
These are some of the scientifically proved studies that show the benefits of incorporating soy in your daily meal. Along with this, there are some effects of having soy that might actually be terrible for your health. Most food items have both good and bad effects. But if a particular thing has more negatives than positives then it is best to avoid them. So is soy bean health benefits lower than the actual negatives. Let us see the negative effects of soy as proved by scientific researches.
Soy Contains Isoflavones- disrupts hormonal balance
This is known as an endocrine disruptor. Estrogen is a very vital hormone found in the female body that helps to deal with the sexual behavior and reproductive development. It is also present in men in a smaller amount. Latest studies have proved that soy contains substances that wreak havoc in the whole hormonal situation in the body.
This plant-based compound functions as phytoestrogens which basically works as estrogen receptors and increases the estrogen activity in the body. This causes chemical disruptions in the body and stops the normal functioning of the hormones. This not only affects the work of the estrogen but might cause problems reproduction functions as well.
Soy may aid the risk of breast cancer
It has been proved that soy causes small changes in the menstrual cycle and the overall health of the breasts. These are strong indicators that the biological changes are in actual indicators that soy increases the chance of breast cancer as it increases the reception of estrogen in the body.
The isoflavones in soy that disrupts the estrogen function are again behind this risk as well. There is a high chance that when you intake a lot of soy, your body will have some biological changes that are in fact bad for the health. These might increase your chances of having breast cancer. Incorporating soy in your meals will help in the overall production of cells in your breasts. This might lead to a risk of breast cancer. But then again there has been studies to show that soy might actually have a good effect on the health and help to avoid cancer.
Effect of soy on the male reproductive system- reduces semen quality
It is normal for men to have a little amount of estrogen in the body. But since soy helps to make the estrogen work more as it is receipted more, there is a high chance that the amount of estrogen in the men body might increase which has a negative effect on the reproduction system. Soy consumption decreases the sperm count in men and often has an adverse effect on the semen quality. It is also seen that many a time high intake of soy can lower the testosterone level in your body.
Soy might have an adverse effect on the thyroid
It has been seen that in many cases there has been some effect on the thyroid. It is a gland in the body. People who have consumed a lot of soy have often faced problems of enlarged thyroid glands. When the thyroid gland increases in size, they start to over secrete causing an abnormal effect on the body.
The verdict
It is very confusing to come to an absolute answer to the question posed above. For every negative effect of soy, there is a positive effect as well. You cannot trust the studies blindly as you are not certain whether the verdicts are biased or not. So the only feasible conclusion that can be drawn from the above discussion is that it is best to have soy only in small quantities. But if you are pregnant or planning to become pregnant then it is best to avoid soy on the whole. It definitely can have some negative effect, so why to take the risk. It is also best to avoid soy if you are nursing a child.
Make sure you do not consume too much of soy or go on a soy diet to be sure that the negative side effects do not hamper your health. But consumption of soy protein in small amounts will not create any adverse effect on your health.
