Most foods contain a combination of fats. Foods high in polyunsaturated fat include a number of vegetable oils, including soybean oil, corn oil and safflower oil, as well as fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel, herring and trout. Other sources include some nuts and seeds.Polyunsaturated fats and mono unsaturated fats can benefit your health, when eaten in moderation. The bad fats – saturated fats and trans fats – can negatively affect your health.
Soybeans can be broadly classified as "vegetable" (garden) or field (oil) types. Vegetable types cook more easily, have a mild nutty flavor, better texture, are larger in size, higher in protein, and lower in oil than field types. Tofu and soy milk producers prefer the higher protein cultivars bred from vegetable soybeans originally brought to the United States in the late 1930s. The "garden" cultivars are generally not suitable for mechanical combine harvesting because they have a tendency for the pods to shatter on reaching maturity.
Soybeans and soybean products are found in baked goods, canned tuna, cereals, crackers, infant formulas, sauces, and soups.In the processing of most soybean oils, the protein portion is removed. Studies have shown that most people with a soy allergy may safely eat soy lecithin and soybean oil.
Soy and components of soy called "isoflavones" have been studied scientifically for numerous health conditions. Isoflavones (such as genistein) are believed to have estrogen-like effects in the body, and as a result are sometimes called "phytoestrogens." In laboratory studies, it is not clear if isoflavones stimulate or block the effects of estrogen, or both (acting as "mixed receptor agonists/antagonists").
The quality of protein found in soybeans is considered to be equal with animal protein. A one cup serving of soybeans has more than 55 percent of the daily need for protein. This serving size has about 300 calories and 2.2 grams of saturated fat. Soy protein may also help lower blood cholesterol levels if eaten in large amounts. Animal protein sources usually raise blood cholesterol levels.
Why better choice whole soy foods ?
* Low in fat
* Excellent source of fiber
* Good source of enriched calcium
* Soybean is an excellent food for diabetes.It has been reported that diabetic patients were successfully treated with lecithin.
* It is easily digested and is one of the most nourishing and body building foods in the world.
* It is especially good for growing children to aid growth and development.
* It has been claimed that lecithin lowers blood cholesterol thru emulsification of fats and is valuable against the development and hardening of the arteries and all the complications of the heart, brain, kidneys and eyes that follow.
* Lecithin is a brain food, a tonic and energizer.Liquid lecithin application helps heal bed sores and persistent diaper rash.
* Prevents gall stones, when adequate lecithin is included in the diet.It is also reported to prevent pellagra, the disease marked by disturbances of the stomach and intestines, skin eruptions and many nervous symptoms such as melancholia.
* The pure pressed oil is used for skin conditions, as it contain the natural vitamins and lecithin. Soybeans have about twenty times more alkali than milk
* Excellent source of high quality digestible protein (contains all the amino acids essential to human nutrition)
* Tempeh and tofu are moderately rich in important minerals such as zinc, magnesium, iron and selenium
* Some products, such as miso and soy yogurt, are probiotic (contain bacteria which contribute to the health of the intestinal tract)
* Contains isoflavones, which are converted by bacteria in the intestines into phytoestrogens and are beneficial in reducing risk of various cancers, heart disease and osteoporosis.
* Certain components of soy appear to have protective effects against breast and prostate cancer in the lab, in animal studies, and in research that looked at groups of people and their dietary habits.Researchers believe that the isoflavones in soy (such as genistein, daidzein, and glycitein) possibly play a role in reducing the risk of cancer.
Genistein, a natural phytoestrogen derived from soy products, worked better than placebo pills at building bone mineral density in a two-year study of older, post menopausal Italian women.
After two years, those taking the soy product had better bone mineral density than those taking placebo. "[Even] after one year, there was a clear difference in the women who got the genistein," said Steven Wilson, a biostatistician at National Jewish Medical and Research Center, Denver, and a co-author of the study, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.The research was funded by the Italian Ministry of Education and the University of Messina, Italy.
Genistein, an isoflavone phytoestrogen, is found abundantly in soybean products. Experts who study it hope it can build bone without the adverse side effects -- such as increased risk of heart disease and certain cancers -- associated with hormone replacement therapy.
In the study, a team led by Dr. Francesco Squadrito of the Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Policlinico, Messina, randomly assigned 389 women who were past menopause (ages 49 to 67) to take either 54 milligrams of genistein daily for 24 months or a placebo pill.
Both the genistein and the placebo pills also contained calcium and vitamin D, known to build bone. The doses per day were 500 milligrams of calcium and 400 international units (IUs) of vitamin D.
The women had osteopenia, defined as bone mineral density lower than normal but not low enough to be classified as osteoporosis, a condition of lowered density that render bones vulnerable to dangerous fractures.
The researchers focused on evaluating the bone mineral density at the lumbar spine and the hip, conducting bone mineral density measurements at the study start, and again at 12 and 24 months.
After just one year, "the bone had not only stopped deteriorating but actually began to reform and become more dense," Wilson said. "The placebo group, still receiving a normal dose of calcium and vitamin D, continued unfortunately their decline," he said, referring to the age-related decline in bone density that occurs after menopause, as estrogen levels decline.
In the study, those who took genistein did not have increased endometrial thickness, which can be a problem with some hormone treatments for decreased bone density, according to the researchers. The genistein group did have more gastrointestinal side effects than the group that did not take it.
Soy has potential for bone-building, but more research is still needed, added Dr. Frank Sacks, professor of medicine at Brigham and Women's Hospital and the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston. "There are safety issues with soy phytoestrogens" related to breast and uterine cancer, he stressed.
"This study would not change the overall view [among many experts] that soy phytoestrogen supplements should not be taken," Sacks said.
All should encourage to switch to polyunsaturated or mono unsaturated oils, and restaurant inspectors will be trained to enforce the rules by examining ingredient lists on oil and shortening labels. Frieden ; an health expert says he isn't worried that a large-scale increase in the use of saturated fats will negate the beneficial effects of reducing trans fat intake. "Of course we want people to change to healthier oils, and it's easy, for most food items, to convert" to alternatives like canola oil, olive oil, or soy oil, he said. "But trans fat is clearly worse than saturated. Even if you switch to suet, you do better."
The soybean has been a part of the human diet for almost 5,000 years. Unlike most plant foods, the soybean is high in protein and is considered equivalent to animal foods in terms of protein quality. Today, researchers are interested in both the nutritional value and the potential health benefits of soy. Several studies of populations in which soy foods are a major component of the diet (particularly Asian populations) suggest that soy may be beneficial for reducing menopausal symptoms, and the risk of heart disease and osteoporosis. A possible relationship between dietary soy and the prevention of hormone-related cancers (such as breast, prostate, and endometrial cancer) is also being evaluated.
A study key finding was a statistically significant difference in systolic and diastolic blood pressure reductions between the intervention and control groups at 12 weeks. Although both groups experienced reductions in blood pressures, patients consuming the soybean protein supplement had greater decreases in systolic and diastolic blood pressures (4.31 and 2.76 mm Hg, respectively) than did subjects in the control group. This difference could not be explained by potentially confounding variables such as body weight or fat consumption, which were similar between groups. Incidences of gastrointestinal side effects also were similar.
More hope:
Growers may soon have the option of planting a non-transgenically modified soybean variety that improves recovery of nitrogen from land-applied animal waste. That's thanks to a newly released soybean germplasm that removes large amounts of nitrogen applied to soil. If developed into a new cultivar, it could become an ideal candidate for animal producers managing waste generated by their operations.
A recent Food and Drug Administration decision, consumers may be seeing more soy foods on the market. "Now that the FDA will allow food companies to make health claims on foods containing soy protein, I think we'll see food companies rapidly rolling out a whole new generation of soy products," Official told.
A University of Nebraska–Lincoln (UNL) researcher has successfully developed a soybean with healthier oil that he believes could help improve consumer health."This is something consumers could sink their teeth into," said Tom Clemente, an associate professor at the UNL Plant Science Institute.The enhanced soybeans have been improved so they contain more of the "good" mono unsaturated fats and less polyunsaturated fats and "bad" saturated fats.
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