Soy For Health Reduced risks of some diseases have been documented in populations that consume a soy-rich diet. For example, Japanese and Chinese people have lower rates of heart disease and breast and prostate cancer than Americans. Soy may be one part of the explanation. Soy may also benefit menopausal women. Soy may halt the chain of events that leads to clogged arteries.
Research suggests that soy foods help lower cholesterol.
And it appears that the higher the initial cholesterol level, the more effective soy is in reducing it. Saturated fat and cholesterol in the diet are reduced when animal proteins are replaced with soy protein. Also, soy is rich in a polyunsaturated fat called linoleic acid, which has been shown to lower blood cholesterol. Genestein, one of the phytochemicals in soy, may suppress the growth of tumor cells. Soy may reduce the risk of prostate cancer in men and the risk of breast cancer in women.