Soy & Health Research

Soybean oil can make important contributions to the health of Americans

September 1, 2016 By The Soyfoods Council

Soybean oil can make important contributions to the health of Americans

by Mark Messina, PhD, MS

Health Attributes of Soybean Oil and Its Contribution to US Diets

Soybean oil is the most widely produced vegetable oil in the United States. In 2014, over 20.6 billion pounds were produced with 1.9 billion pounds exported to more than 50 countries. It is also the most commonly consumed oil in American diets accounting for more than half of all US vegetable oil consumption and for a little over 7% of total caloric intake.¹ Because soybean oil is nearly always marketed and labeled as vegetable oil, most consumers don’t recognize the extent to which it plays in a role in their diets.

The reason for this labeling approach isn’t entirely known. One theory is that it is linked to the introduction of “all vegetable” shortenings in the 1960s which successfully replaced lard and beef tallow-based shortenings and were largely soybean oil-based. “All vegetable” cooking oils soon followed in the marketplace.

Given the contribution that soybean oil makes to caloric intake, it is important to have an understanding of how it impacts the health and nutrition status of Americans. This is especially relevant given the impact of different dietary fats on coronary heart disease risk.

Fatty Acid Composition of Soybean Oil

Soybean oil is low in saturated fat which comprises about 12% of total fatty acids. About 29% of the fat in soybean oil is monounsaturated. Like sunflower, sesame, and corn oils, soybean oil is rich in polyunsaturated fats (PUFAs) which make up 59% of its total fat content.² What sets soybean oil apart from these other oils is that the polyunsaturated fat is comprised of both linoleic acid and alpha-linolenic acid. Both of these fatty acids are essential nutrients. Linoleic acid is the essential omega-6 fatty acid while alpha-linolenic acid is an essential omega-3 fatty acid.

This is a unique aspect of soybean oil since most other oils that are rich in PUFAs contain only omega-6 fats and have only negligible amounts of omega-3 fats. Because of its widespread use, soybean oil accounts for over 40% of the US intake of both of the essential fatty acids.¹

The omega-3 fat found in soybean oil is not the same as the long chain omega-3 fats that are found in fatty fish. Although these long chain fats have been linked to lower risk for heart disease, they are not considered essential. In part, this is because the body can synthesize them from alpha-linolenic acid, the omega-3 fat that is present in soybean oil.

Effects of Polyunsaturated Fat on LDL-cholesterol…

Soy News (February 2015)

March 5, 2015 By The Soyfoods Council

For Women with Breast Cancer, Soy Isoflavones Lower Bone Density but Improve Survival

New research from China suggests that in women with breast cancer, soyfoods have anti-estrogenic effects. The results come from the Shanghai Breast Cancer Survival Study. While the hormone estrogen protects bone health, women who ate the most soy in this study had lower bone mineral density. Not surprisingly, they also were less likely to have a recurrence of their cancer and they had better survival rates. These outcomes are both the opposite of those associated with the hormone estrogen. Source: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25687481…

Soy News (January 2015)

February 2, 2015 By The Soyfoods Council

Soy isoflavone inhibits metastasis

Genistein is one type of isoflavone found in soyfoods. New research in mice shows that genistein inhibits the spread of colon tumors to other tissues. Interestingly, genistein doesn’t affect the tumor itself—just its spread. This may help to explain why soyfoods are associated with decreased colon cancer metastasis in population studies. It also might provide a rationale for use of genistein in clinical practice to improve colon cancer prognosis. Soyfoods are the only foods containing significant amounts of genistein. More information here….

Soy news (December 2014)

December 18, 2014 By The Soyfoods Council

Soyfoods Linked with Improved Survival in Women with Breast Cancer

Women with breast cancer can safely consume soyfoods. In fact, eating soyfoods may improve the survival of breast cancer patients. That was the conclusion of the World Cancer Research Fund International after extensively reviewing the studies on soy and cancer. Other lifestyle choices that may improve prognosis include maintaining a healthy body weight, being physically active, eating foods containing fiber, and reducing total and especially, saturated fat intake. More information here….

New research emphasizes consuming foods high in polyunsaturated fat

September 16, 2014 By The Soyfoods Council

A cornerstone of dietary advice has long been to replace saturated fat with polyunsaturated fat to reduce risk of heart disease. This is advice that has been challenged in the past few years, however. Health writers and some nutrition experts have questioned whether saturated fat is to blame for heart disease or whether other dietary components are the culprits. Suddenly, bacon and steak have become the new health foods….

Soyfoods are without effect on the age of onset of menarche

August 5, 2014 By The Soyfoods Council

Soyfoods are without effect on the age of onset of menarche

In many countries throughout the world, the age at which puberty occurs among girls—manifested as breast development, appearance of pubic hair, and onset of menarche—has been commencing earlier. For example, the mean age at onset of menarche (AOM) in Korea decreased from 16.9 to 13.8 years between 1920 and 1985. In the United Kingdom, between 1910 and 1993, it decreased from 13.5 to 12.3 years. And in the United States the AOM decreased by an average of 3 to 5½ months from 1960 to 1990….

Soyfoods lower risk of ovarian cancer

April 23, 2014 By The Soyfoods Council

Soyfoods lower risk of ovarian cancer

The American Cancer Society estimates that in 2014, about 21,980 American women will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer and about 14,270 women will die from this disease. Ovarian cancer ranks fifth in cancer deaths among women, accounting for more deaths than any other cancer of the female reproductive system. A woman’s risk of getting ovarian cancer during her lifetime is about 1 in 72. Her lifetime chance of dying from ovarian cancer is about 1 in 100….