Commonly known as Soy, the pod of the Soy bean plant has been an important source of protein in the diet of millions of people in Oriental countries for over five thousand years. This plant originated in South East Asia but is now cultivated in many Asian countries. Soy contains estrogen-like factors (phytoestrogens) and antioxidants such as isoflavones. It is known to reduce cholesterol, alleviate cardiovascular and menopausal symptoms and has also been used in infant formula. Known medicinal and pharmacological activities of soy components include:
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Hypolipidemic activity: Soy protein has attracted a lot of attention recently due to its ability to lower LDL (bad cholesterol) levels. The Food and Drug Administration recently approved the cholesterol-lowering health claim for soy, indicating that daily consumption of 25 grams of soy protein (6.5 grams of soy protein per serving) may lower LDL cholesterol.
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Cardioprotective effect: The results of a study involving 30 healthy postmenopausal women, suggest that they improve markers of cardiovascular health with daily consumption of soy isoflavones at a dose of 50mg/day.
Safety Profile
To date, no adverse effects of short- or long-term use of soy proteins have been observed in adults. There are however controversial claims on the safety of infant formulas containing soy. Although orally consumed soy products do not seem to have any serious side effects, highly purified compounds from soy, like genistein may show estrogen-like effects in women predisposed to breast cancer.
Herb Drug interactions
Although not proven, because of its estrogen-like properties, soy extracts may potentially interact with antitumor drugs used in breast cancer treatment that act on the estrogen-estrogen receptor binding process.
