The Joys of Soy

A diet high in soy protein has proven healthful for Asians over centuries. How does the Western world embrace soy?

By Camille Chatterjee, published on May 01, 1999 - last reviewed on August 07, 2006

For centuries, Asians have thrived on diets high in soy protein—and suffered notably less cancer and cardiovascular disease than their Western counterparts. A surge of studies reveals how soy works its protective effects and how to make the food more friendly to finicky American palates.

Scientists surmise that the active ingredients in soy are compounds called isoflavones, which are phytoestrogens (or plant estrogens) that mimic the actions of hormones in the body. Many of the diseases that most plague Westerners, like heart disease and breast cancer, are hormone-dependent, and soy-raised Asians rarely exhibit these illnesses. So researchers have been examining soy to see how it might foil disease. An issue of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showcased a slew of new studies showing that eating soy lowers cholesterol and reduces the risk of osteoporosis, breast cancer and heart disease.

But many Americans are reluctant to try soy, notes Jim Failer, Ph.D., an assistant professor of food engineering at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. "There are lots of ways to get soy at a health food store, but not in the mass market," he says. So in three studies, he shows that soy is easily incorporated into cereals and corn chips with health benefits intact. But since manufacturers have yet to create soy snacks, health watchers should sample what is available—tofu, soy milk, soybeans and tempeh.