The Incredible Benefits of Soy

There are only a couple of foods that are allowed by the FDA to include health claims on the label. Soy is among the few that are. You may have even read some of the claims lately stating that diets low in saturated fat and cholesterol that include twenty-five grams of soy protein every day can lower the chance of heart disease. Soy has a lot of good properties, and some of them are listed below.

Soy improves a variety of ailments from cardiovascular disease to prostate cancer to menopause symptoms. Even with the powerful benefits soy offers, many people don't eat it because they aren't even aware of it. While it may be different that what you are used to, soy is nothing to be afraid of. The soybean is a legume and is made into a variety of foods such as soy milk, tofu, miso, and tempeh.

Soy improves cardiovascular disease by bringing down LDL (bad) cholesterol up to 4% to 5%. Even greater decreases of LDL occur when you replace soy for less heart healthy foods like red meat and other saturated fats. There are current hypotheses that indicate soy has such a advantageous effect because it step-ups the activity of receptors that "trap" low-density lipoproteins.

Soy is replete with isoflavones. These chemicals are very similar to estrogen and bear some of the same effects, but not as strongly as estrogen. Also known as phytoestrogens, isoflavones help arteries relax and expand which helps blood circulation and decreases blood pressure. A few studies have revealed decreases up to fifteen points. Additional blood flow to the body and its organs is always a beneficial thing.

Men will be happy to know the following facts. Studies have shown that cancer patients who consumed soy isoflavones for six months showed a leveling off of prostate-specific antigen, a key indicator in prostate cancer. In addition, isoflavones are believed to inhibit enzymes that fuel tumor growth.

Menopausal women also acquire large benefits from soy since the phytoestrogens in soy are metabolized in the body as equol. A few women who have experienced 5 or more hot flashes on a daily basis have discovered that soy can help lower hot flash frequency up to 40%. Soy has also proven helpful in decreasing vaginal dryness in some menopausal women.

Finally, people with kidney disease can also be helped by eating soy. Glomerular filtration rate is a measure of kidney stress that is reduced when animal proteins are replaced with soy proteins. This reduction in kidney stress may help slow kidney damage.

With ithe benefits it offers men and women, and its ability to provide a great source of high protein, low fat calories, soy will likely continue to be a popular, and healthy choice for dieters everywhere. So start using soy based foods into your diet today, and grab all the benefits soy has to offer.

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