Let’s explain all the doubts about soy products once and for all.
There is an old saying: Eat beans for three dollars a day, why take medicine for years. In the steaming hot pot, slices of fresh tofu were dancing up and down in the soup. The long sleeves of the tofu skin were dancing and wrapped around a piece of lettuce… Carefully picked up a piece of tofu and gave it to friend No. 1. She was shocked: “I have thyroid nodules.” You can’t eat soy products.” I gave my friend No. 2 and she backed away: “I have breast hyperplasia and I can’t eat soy products.” Uh, what’s going on? We need to explain it clearly.
The soy products my friends refer to are foods made from soybeans or other legumes, such as tofu, tofu curd, soy milk, yuba, tempeh, fermented bean curd, etc.
Although soy products are derived from soybeans, after processing, harmful ingredients such as protease inhibitors, beany smell, flatulence factors, and phytic acid are also removed, leaving high-quality protein, unsaturated fatty acids, calcium, potassium, and soy isoflavones. Nutrients are more easily absorbed by the body.
Soy products have significant effects in helping to protect the heart, help reduce osteoporosis and relieve menopausal symptoms in women.
At present, doubts about soy products mainly focus on the following aspects:
question:
Will the protein in tofu affect iron absorption?
answer:
After processing and heating, it has little effect on iron absorption.
The main component in soybeans that affects iron absorption is phytate, but after processing (heating) into soy products, the phytates have been basically removed, and the impact on iron absorption is very small. Studies have confirmed that soy protein has positive significance in improving iron deficiency in the body, and soy ferritin can also effectively prevent iron deficiency anemia. Therefore, don’t worry that regular consumption of soy products will lead to iron deficiency.
question:
Does regular consumption of soy products lead to kidney function decline?
answer:
On the contrary, it protects kidney function and delays the progression of kidney disease.
Some people think that the protein in soy products produces a large amount of nitrogen after digestion and decomposition, which will increase the burden on the kidneys. In fact, compared with animal protein, the plant protein in soy products can improve the renal urinary creatinine clearance, urinary creatinine, proteinuria and For dyslipidemia caused by renal insufficiency, long-term consumption can protect kidney function and delay the progression of kidney disease.
Therefore, healthy people eating a certain amount of soy products every day will not affect kidney function.
question:
Will eating soy products promote arteriosclerosis?
answer:
Soy lecithin can promote lipid metabolism in the blood
Some people believe that the methionine in soy products will be converted into cysteine to promote the formation of arteriosclerosis. However, soy protein can reduce low-density lipoprotein cholesterol in adults by 3%-4%, and soy lecithin can also control diseases such as atherosclerosis and liver disease by promoting the metabolism of lipids in the blood and reducing blood lipid and total cholesterol levels. diseases and diseases such as hyperlipidemia. Therefore, don’t give up the nutrition of soy products just because you are worried about causing arteriosclerosis.
question:
Are soy isoflavones bad for women’s thyroid and breast glands?
answer:
Both statements are inaccurate
The soy isoflavones contained in soy products are relatively safe estrogen-like substances with a lower content than soybeans. When the estrogen level in the body decreases, it will replace estrogen. When the estrogen level in the body is high, it will It will produce antiestrogen-like effects.
Case-control experiments on female breast cancer in China, the United States, Japan and other countries have shown that the consumption of soybeans and their products can reduce the incidence of breast cancer in premenopausal women and reduce the risk of breast cancer recurrence and death. Therefore, it is good for women with breast hyperplasia to consume soy products appropriately.
Current clinical trial evidence from a large number of healthy adult men and women shows that neither soy protein nor soy isoflavones have adverse effects on thyroid function. Soy isoflavones have no or very little effect on thyroid function in healthy people. Therefore, there are no research results confirming that eating soy products has adverse effects on thyroid nodules.
question:
Tofu contains more purines, causing gout attacks?
answer:
There is no obvious correlation between the two
The purine content in soybeans is about 200 mg per 100 grams, but after being processed into soy products, the purine content will be greatly reduced. The effect of beans and soy products on promoting uric acid excretion exceeds the effect of the purines they contain on increasing blood uric acid synthesis, and is a protective factor for gout. The “Multidisciplinary Expert Consensus on the Diagnosis and Treatment of Hyperuricemia-Related Diseases in China” clearly points out that beans and soy products can be consumed appropriately. Beans and soy products have no obvious correlation with hyperuricemia and gout attacks. Therefore, gout patients can eat some soy products in moderation, but they should not eat them during acute attacks.
In short, soy products are rich in nutrients and can be consumed every day. However, excessive intake at one time will increase the burden on the gastrointestinal tract and cause symptoms such as bloating and diarrhea. A daily intake of 20-25 grams of soybeans or corresponding soy products (approximately equivalent to 140 grams of soft tofu, 365 grams of soy milk, 55 grams of soy milk, etc.) grams of dried tofu, 175 grams of lactone tofu, 40 grams of shredded tofu, 72.5 grams of old tofu, etc.), for ordinary people, they can obtain various nutrients without overeating and aggravating the digestive burden, let alone worrying about various health risks. Eating different types of soy products every time can also make the meal richer and more diverse.
Text/Chang Lijun (Gansu Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)
