Traditional soyfoods such as tofu and miso have been widely used in many East Asian countries for centuries. They have also been consumed by health-conscious individuals in Western countries for several decades. In recent years, because of purported health benefits, increased numbers of Westerners have decided to incorporate soy into their diets. Soyfoods hold particular appeal for postmenopaus...

Given the interest in the vascular effects of both soyfoods and soy isoflavones, the purpose of this short review is to evaluate clinical trials that have examined the effects of isoflavone-rich soy products on the novel cardiovascular risk factors, cellular adhesion molecules, and pro-inflammatory cytokines. A total of 14 randomized clinical studies were assessed. From the data evaluated, evid...

There has been considerable investigation of the potential for soyfoods to reduce risk of cancer, and in particular cancer of the breast. Most interest in this relationship is because soyfoods are essentially a unique dietary source of isoflavones, compounds which bind to estrogen receptors and exhibit weak estrogen-like effects under certain experimental conditions. In recent years the relatio...

Soyfoods have long been recognized as sources of high-quality protein and healthful fat, but over the past 25 years these foods have been rigorously investigated for their role in chronic disease prevention and treatment. There is evidence, for example, that they reduce risk of coronary heart disease and breast and prostate cancer. In addition, soy alleviates hot flashes and may favorably affec...

Dietary isoflavone and lignan phytoestrogens are potential chemopreventive agents. This has led to a need to monitor exposure to these compounds in human populations and to determine which components of a mixed diet contribute to the exposure. Typically, urinary isoflavonoid excretion is associated with soy consumption and that of lignans is associated with whole grains. However, other plant fo...

The impact of soyfood intake on breast cancer risk has been intensely investigated. This focus can be attributed to soyfoods being uniquely rich dietary sources of isoflavones. Isoflavones are classified as both phytoestrogens and selective estrogen receptor (ER) modulators. The finding that dietary genistein, the primary soybean isoflavone, stimulates the growth of existing mammary tumors in o...

In her discussion of the literature, Dr. Azevedo fails to differentiate human from non-human research and omits relevant research. For example, in commenting about isofl avones causing thyroid dysfunction, a 1991 article published in Japanese is cited but not a 2006 review8 that evaluated this study along with 13 other clinical trials, nor a subsequently published 3-year trial,4 both of which d...

Soyfoods have been a part of Asian diets for centuries. Today, there is a growing interest in these foods among westerners because of their proposed health benefits and also because their versatility makes them valuable for replacing meat and dairy foods in the diet. Soybeans provide excellent nutrition and contain a number of biologically active components that collectively may be responsible ...