But take heart, the oil in soybeans is largely unsaturated and is high in essential fatty acids. These types of fats are actually being touted for their health benefits. Some soy products say soy wards off heart disease. Studies show that foods with soy may help stave off heart attacks and other complications of heart disease by lowering cholesterol. The product needs to meet the strict criteria to bear the new claim, but it will soon be appearing on more labels.
Some research suggests that isoflavones are responsible for soy's health properties.
Lower fat products have fewer isoflavones. Soy protein concentrates lose isoflavones during processing. Heat treatment does not appear to significantly affect isoflavone content. Isoflavones are actually a component of soy protein. A good rule of thumb is that the more soy protein a food has, the higher the isoflavone content.