The benefits of soy are talked about and promoted a lot, but is all this true? You’ll find a lot of inaccurate information about improving menopausal symptoms, helping you lose weight, and even making your bones more robust. Still, none of this is confirmed by scientific studies.
Next, you will find in this FastlyHealarticle everything you need to know about whether soy isoflavones are fattening or not, what they are for, and what their effects are on menopause.
Table of Contents
What are soy isoflavones?
Soy isoflavones are compounds in soybeans and some derivatives; they are also known as phytoestrogens due to their significant chemical similarity, but their forms are similar when studied chemically, which does not mean that their documents are similar that their action in our body is the same.
They are obtained from the refining of soybean oil. This implies that they are subjected to heat and numerous unhealthy chemicals derived from petroleum.
Do soy isoflavones make you fat?
To understand whether or not isoflavones are good for your health and if they can help your well-being, first, it is essential to know what is said about them is true and what is not.
“Benefits” of isoflavones for health
In recent years, soy isoflavones have been credited with a host of purported benefits, leading large industries to take advantage of their marketing to make us believe something that doesn’t have proper scientific support.
There are more harms found in frequent soy consumption than the real benefits. And this is so because soy and its derivatives are very difficult for digestion and generate a large amount of circulating toxins in the body.
Many soy derivatives are consumed daily, even without realizing it, since they are included in many products. Its excessive consumption can be harmful to health. Among the foods that have these substances are:
- Processed products: either in the form of lecithin or oil.
- Soy oil.
- Tofu.
- Textured soy and many vegan/vegetarian products made with it.
- Soy sauce (not fermented).
To take advantage of the benefits of soy, it must be well digested. This can only be achieved when the grains are subjected to long fermentation processes that take months, which they usually sell us in supermarkets or as dietary supplements in pharmacies.
You will find much less benefit in the regular consumption of soy when the grains obtained from the isoflavones are of genetically manipulated origin and are subjected to many pesticides during cultivation.
And isoflavones, are they fattening?
The accumulation of fat in the body and obesity has a lot to do with poor digestion and an expansion of toxins in the body in adipose tissue. That is why if you frequently consume products with soy and its derivatives, this can contribute to your weight gain or the difficulty you have to lose those pounds that you feel you have extra.
Some scientific studies have tried to validate the action of isoflavones as stimulants for weight loss, but their information is not conclusive.
What are soy isoflavones for in menopause?
During menopause, hormone levels drop dramatically in women. Some, depending on the state of their body, may experience a large number of symptoms, including:
- Hot flushes.
- Insomnia.
- Joint pain
- Decreased bone mineralization.
Many of these symptoms correspond instead to chronic imbalances, and if these are corrected, many of these uncomfortable symptoms can be reversed.
Many benefits are attributed to soy isoflavones for menopause, but this has been disproved by a study by experts from the European Food Safety Authority. They have reviewed more than 100 studies where these alleged effects were studied precisely. In conclusion, they have revealed that the benefits of isoflavones have not been proven in various symptoms of menopause, such as hot flashes, insomnia, and much less in improving bone demineralization than it is usually seen associated in this stage of the woman’s life [1].
On the other hand, they have proven that pesticides and many chemicals used in large-scale agricultural production are endocrine disruptors and cause many hormonal health problems [2].
When do you have menopause? Do you gain weight?
This is relative, and it cannot be said that all women gain weight when menopause arrives. This has more to do with the balance or imbalance suffered at that stage of life.
If it is true that hormonal levels decline since the ovary slowly stops working, this transition can be smooth and not have a severe impact on the body. What happens is that many times it is difficult to reach this age in complete balance. That is why you should pay attention to your body and the habits you have more than ever.
In earlier stages, it is possible that it was possible to lose weight faster if you wanted to. Still, you should know that maintaining a healthy diet and practicing daily exercise will feel perfect and keep your body in good condition.
This article is merely informative. At FastlyHeal .com, we do not have the power to prescribe medical treatments or make any diagnosis. We invite you to see a doctor in the case of presenting any condition or discomfort.
If you want to read more articles similar to Do soy isoflavones make you fat? We recommend that you enter our Food category.
References
- Scientific Opinion on the substantiation of health claims related to soy isoflavones and protection of DNA, proteins, and lipids from oxidative damage (ID 1286, 4245), maintenance of average blood LDL cholesterol concentrations (ID 1135, 1704a, 3093a), reduction of vasomotor symptoms associated with menopause (ID 1654, 1704b, 2140, 3093b, 3154, 3590), maintenance of normal skin tonicity (ID 1704a), contribution to average hair growth (ID 1704a, 4254), “cardiovascular health” (ID 3587), treatment of prostate cancer (ID 3588) and “upper respiratory tract” (ID 3589) according to Article 13 (1) of Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006. (2011). EFSA Journal, 9. https://efsa.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.2903/j.efsa.2011.2264
- An insight into the harmful effects of soy protein: A review. (2015). La Clinica Terapeutica, 166. http://www.seu-roma.it/riviste/clinica_terapeutica/apps/autos.php?id=1461
I am a Surgeon with a diploma in comprehensive ultrasound and surgical care residency, an area I am specializing in. During the exercise of my profession, I have realized the need for patients to know the diseases they suffer, and I can tell you that a large part of their complications is due to a lack of information. Being a health web writer allows me to transmit my experience, without borders, to all those readers eager for knowledge, educate them in the prevention of diseases and promote a healthy lifestyle.