The Medicinal Bean

When phytoestrogens were discovered in soybeans, some scientists wondered if soy eaten as a food could be used to prevent, and possibly cure, estrogen-related illnesses. They noted that Japanese women, who consume roughly 200 milligrams of phytoestrogens daily, have significantly lower rates of osteoporosis, estrogen-dependent breast cancer and hot flashes, compared with women in the Western world.

A recent study now suggests that eating soybeans can be medicinal. Scientists at the University of Bologna tested soy's ability to combat hot flashes in postmenopausal women by giving 60 grams of isolated soy protein daily for 12 weeks to104 women with moderate to severe hot flashes. Fifty-three women in the control group received a placebo. By the end of the 12-week study period, the women taking soy were having 15% fewer daily hot flashes than women in the control group.

In a recent Hawaiian study, scientists found that women who eat the most soy products—such as soymilk, tofu and roasted soy nuts—suffer less than half the risk of endometrial cancer, as do women who eat no soy. Rates of endometrial cancer in Asia, where soy is consumed daily by many women, are lower than in the soy-challenged West.

Soy's estrogenic properties are so considerable that some researchers are beginning to wonder if it's such a good idea to give babies a steady diet of soy formula. One study found that infants raised on soy formula had six to 11 times the levels of plant estrogens known to have hormonal effects in adults. Babies fed either breast milk or cow's milk formula had very low levels of the chemicals in their blood.

It is not yet known if high estrogen levels in soy-fed infants are a problem, but it does raise a red flag. The American Academy of Pediatrics currently recommends soy formula for infants with lactose intolerance or allergies to milk.

[Editor: It would be useful to find out if soy formula was ever given to infants in Asia, and under what specific circumstances.]  Based on information in: Soyfoods USA, Vol. 2, No. 11; Prevention, Jan 1998; Health, Jan/Feb 1998