Aug 2, 2018, 20:27 PM by Jim Hershey

With nearly eight billion people living on Earth today and another one billion projected by 2040, an abundant source of efficiently produced and nutritionally-rich foods is going to be one of the keys to survival. Fortunately, we have Glycine max, more commonly known as the soybean, to help meet the nutritional needs of the growing population

Aug 2, 2018, 18:40 PM by Mark Messina, PhD, MS,

Fermented soyfoods play an important role in the cuisines of many Asian countries. Fermentation produces changes in the composition of the food itself but the health implications of these changes aren’t precisely understood. Limited evidence suggests fermented soyfoods exert favorable changes on the composition of the intestinal microbiota.

Aug 2, 2018, 18:38 PM by Elaine S. Krul, PhD,

Gut microbiota play a critical role in human metabolism and health by processing nutrients and drugs, synthesizing vitamins and inhibiting growth of potential pathogen. The gut microbiota co-evolved with humans in a symbiotic manner, so that those microbes that thrive on ingredients in the human diet serve to provide additional metabolic activity to the host (gut microbiota have 100 times more genes than human), thereby enhancing nutrient availability while also affording protection against opportunistic pathogens. The large intestine harbors most of the gut microbiota and is the major site for fermentation of dietary ingredients which are not efficiently digested in the small intestine. The efficient extraction of energy from the diet made possible by the metabolic activity of the colonic microbiota, in some cases, has undesirable consequences. For instance, gut microbiota have a causal role in the development of obesity in mice. Ridaura et al. demonstrated that when gut microbiota from human twins who were discordant for obesity were transferred to germ-free mice, the mice receiving the microbiota from the obese twin had significantly more body mass and fat tissue than mice receiving the microbiota from the lean twin. The donor obese individuals had a higher ratio of certain phyla of bacteria (Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes) and overall reduced bacterial diversity in the gut compared with lean individuals.

Aug 2, 2018, 18:28 PM by System

Soybean oil was introduced to the American consumer during World War II when domestic and imported sources of fat became limited. Because of its versatility for home and commercial food preparation, soybean oil grew to be the major contributor of both essential fatty acids to the US diet.

Aug 2, 2018, 18:27 PM by Mian N. Riaz, PhD, CFS,

Consumers continue to demand healthier food products. Given the choice, most consumers would prefer to enhance or improve their diet using food and drink related products rather than pharmaceuticals.

Aug 2, 2018, 18:26 PM by System

When one thinks of soy, the traditional Asian soyfoods – tofu, miso, natto, tempeh – most likely come to mind. While these foods play key roles in Asian cuisines and increasingly in non-Asian cuisines, they account for only a small percentage of the soybeans produced worldwide.

Aug 2, 2018, 18:20 PM by System

The health impacts of dietary fat and carbohydrate are hotly debated topics. Although health authorities are continuing to recommend that saturated fat (SFA) intake be reduced from current levels there has been recent controversy about the relationship between SFA and coronary heart disease (CHD) risk.

Aug 2, 2018, 18:18 PM by Mark Messina, PhD, MS,

There continues to be confusion among consumers about the health attributes of soyfoods. To this point, a recent survey found that whereas the vast majority of health professionals view soyfoods very positively, little more than half of the public agrees. Four specific concerns about soyfood use are addressed below. They are misconceptions about male feminization, soy and breast cancer, thyroid function and fertility. First, the overall conclusion or takeaway is presented on each topic, and then the evidence underlying the concern is discussed, followed by a summary of the evidence refuting the concern.

Aug 2, 2018, 18:03 PM by Mark Messina, PhD, MS,

The U.S. Food Allergen Labeling & Consumer Protection Act (FALCPA) mandates labeling of all ingredients derived from commonly allergenic foods. In the United States, eight foods have been identified as the most frequent human food allergens, accounting for 90 percent of food allergies. These foods are milk, eggs, fish, crustacea, wheat, peanuts, tree nuts and soy. However, these foods are not equally allergenic—in fact, soy protein allergies are relatively uncommon. Being allergic to soy protein is much less common than being allergic to milk or peanuts.

Aug 2, 2018, 18:01 PM by Aline Andres, PhD,

Soy formula has been in use since the 1960s and estimates are that 20 million Americans consumed this food at some point in their development. Currently, approximately 13% of formula-fed infants use soy formula. After an extensive review in 2008, the American Academy of Pediatrics concluded that soy formula produces normal growth and development. Similarly, in 2010, the U.S. National Toxicology Program (USNTP) concluded that there is minimal concern about the safety of soy formula. Nevertheless, soy formula has become controversial because infants are exposed to high levels of isoflavones. To help address this controversy and to answer a call by the USNTP for more data, investigators at the Arkansas Children’s Nutrition Center (ACNC) undertook the “Beginnings Study” in 2002.

Aug 2, 2018, 17:58 PM by Mark Messina, PhD, MS,

Despite being high phytate and oxalate, two compounds that inhibit mineral absorption—the absorption of calcium (and likely also iron) from soyfoods is only modestly inhibited as a result. Incorporating soyfoods into a healthy diet does not impair mineral status.

Aug 2, 2018, 16:24 PM by Virginia Messina, MPH, RD

While cost, taste and nutrition are all factors that drive food purchases, consumers are increasingly concerned about the carbon footprint of their dietary choices. Nearly 50 years ago, the book Diet for a Small Planet by Frances Moore Lappé emphasized the impact of food choices on water and land usage. More recently, researchers have also focused on how different diets impact greenhouse gas emissions (GHGE).

Aug 2, 2018, 16:22 PM by Marty Matlock, PhD,

The success of soybeans as a global crop reflects its value, resilience, and low environmental impact. Maintaining the highly sustainable quality of this important crop means continually improving these characteristics. U.S. soybeans are sustainable in part because of the aggressive adoption by American farmers of technologies that improve efficiencies and reduce impacts. These technologies include crop genetics, field cultivation, pest control, automation, precision agriculture, and post-harvest quality control.

Aug 2, 2018, 16:20 PM by David Baer, PhD,

Soybean oil is a critically important oil in the global food supply. Conventional soybean oil, also known as “commodity” soybean oil, is high in polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) which are consistently associated with decreased risk of chronic diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease. And while some individuals have suggested that the n-6 PUFA found in commodity soybean oil are “proinflammatory” and detrimental to health, those claims are not supported by the scientific evidence. Despite their positive impact on health, a limitation of oils high in PUFA is that they are susceptible to oxidation, which can reduce its shelf- and fry-life.

Aug 2, 2018, 16:17 PM by System

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently decided to allow a qualified health claim linking the consumption of soybean oil to reduced risk of coronary heart disease and lower LDL-cholesterol. The decision was based on a comprehensive review of the clinical data.

Aug 2, 2018, 15:41 PM by System

The Soy Nutrition Institute (SNI) is now a co-sponsor of The Soy Connection newsletter, helping to bring the latest news about soy research to health professionals both in this newsletter and on the SNI web site.

Aug 2, 2018, 15:39 PM by Mark Messina, PhD, MS,

Meta-analyses of the clinical data consistently show that soy protein lowers circulating LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C) levels. The most recent meta-analysis demonstrating this finding to be the case was published in 2015. The first one was published in 1995. Four years later, after conducting its own analysis of the literature, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized a health claim for soy protein and reduced risk of coronary heart disease. Since 1999, similar claims have been approved in 11 other countries; the most recent country to do so was Canada in 2015.

Aug 2, 2018, 15:38 PM by Guy Johnson, PhD,

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) vouched for the heart-health benefits of soybean oil in 2017 by acknowledging that there is sufficient “supportive scientific evidence” to authorize a new Qualified Health Claim (QHC) for soybean oil and certain foods made from it. Exact wording of the new claim reads: “Supportive but not conclusive scientific evidence suggests that eating about 1 ½ tablespoons (20.5 grams) daily of soybean oil, which contains unsaturated fat, may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease. To achieve this possible benefit, soybean oil is to replace saturated fat and not increase the total number of calories you eat in a day. One serving of this product contains [x] grams of soybean oil.”

Aug 2, 2018, 15:28 PM by Christine Werner, PhD, PA-C, RD,

The nutritional profile and functional properties of soy and its constituents (oil, protein, fiber) influence a surprising number of food products in the market today. Soy as an ingredient in foods adds nutrition like protein, healthy polyunsaturated fat, phytonutrients and dietary fiber. The health benefits of soy have been studied extensively. Various soy products are viewed as health promoting, and may play a role in weight loss, improving glucose tolerance, lowering bad cholesterol, and possibly reducing risk of breast, prostate and colon cancers.

Aug 2, 2018, 15:26 PM by Mark Messina, PhD, MS,

Concentrated sources of soy protein, commonly referred to as soy protein products (SPPs), are widely used by the food industry for their functional properties, such as enhancing moisture content and increasing shelf life. These concentrated sources of protein, which include isolated soy protein (ISP), soy protein concentrate (SPC) and soy flour (also textured soy protein or textured vegetable protein), are also used to increase the protein content of a wide variety of products such as energy bars and breakfast cereals. These protein sources form the basis for creating a variety of meat analogues, such as soy burgers, which have become increasingly popular as more people opt to consume plant-based meals. By definition, ISP, SPC and soy flour are approximately 90%, 65% and 50% protein, respectively.