soybean

Question
Dear George

I would like to ask the following if possible:

Does soybean contains the complete amino acids and more importantly the essential amino acids?

Will consuming soybean increase your estrogen level? I am a male.

Thank you. Your reply is very much appreciated.

Sincerely

Eddie

Answer
Hello Eddie!

Thank you for your nutrition question.  Soy, used both medicinally and as a healthful protein in Asian communities for over 5,000 years, continues to be lauded by doctors and nutritionists in the United States. Its health benefits include protection from hormonally driven cancers, such as breast cancer and prostate cancer, as well as coronary heart disease. Dr. Andrew Weil, known for dispelling myths about fad diets and cures, states in his recent book, Eating Well for Optimum Health, that 搊ne of the healthiest dietary changes Westerners could make would be to substitute soy foods for some of the animal foods they now eat.?He cites epidemiological evidence for health-protective effects, noting that 損opulations that eat a lot of (soy) have low rates of breast cancer, menopausal problems, and prostate cancer.?

Further, research on soy shows that the fiber from inside the soy bean promotes bowel health and improves carbohydrate tolerance; that is, the body's ability to metabolize glucose and control blood sugar levels. In addition, soybeans provide more protein than any other plant food with an average of 38% protein. More importantly, the soybean is the only plant to provide a complete protein--in other words, all of the essential amino acids necessary to a healthy diet that otherwise can only be found in meat, fish, poultry, eggs, and dairy products. It is also a source of calcium as well as other vitamins and minerals. Finally, though not exhaustive of the health benefits of soy, it contains 18% fat--61% of which is polyunsaturated fatty acid--making it a good source of unsaturated fatty acids. Scientists and doctors continue to study what is being referred to as the 揗ighty Bean.?

Generally, men are put off by soy. It tends to be sort of a woman's thing. That's a great pity, because the evidence that soy protects against prostate cancer is quite strong."

While there have been worries that men who consume large quantities of low-carb soy bread, soy cereal or other soy-filled foods may get a little too in touch with their feminine sides, research findings have generally not borne out those fears.

"Soy is a very healthy food," said physician James Anderson, who has studied soy for 15 years at the University of Kentucky in Lexington and is convinced enough of its benefits to eat about a dozen servings of soy per week. "It's very safe."

Most concerns about soy have centered around the fact that it is a rich source of isoflavones, substances that mimic the effects of the female hormone estrogen. To determine what these plant-based chemicals might do, Steven Zeisel and his colleagues at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill fed megadoses of soy to men as part of a recent National Cancer Institute study.

Nipple discharge, breast enlargement and slight decreases in testosterone occurred with the megadoses. But "we still couldn't find anything that was serious, and we went up to doses that are probably 30 times what you could get from normal foods," Zeisel said. "I don't think that there are a lot of estrogenic worries. Your testicles will not shrink and you won't have massive breast enlargement" from eating soy.

-Hope this helps!

-George Rapitis, Bsc. Nutritionist
www.juiceblend.com

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