Soy – Better Than Its Reputation?

The soybean is characterized by a very high protein content and is a super source of protein. It also contains many polyunsaturated fatty acids, so it can have a beneficial impact on cholesterol levels. The rumor that soy makes you infertile or promotes breast cancer has also been circulating in the social media for quite some time. The reason for this is isoflavones. They belong to the secondary plant substances of the soybean and are structurally very similar to estrogen. Binding to estrogen receptors in the body has been demonstrated in experiments on cell cultures of pigs. However, several studies* show that the consumption of soy products in adequate quantities has no negative effects on health.

In fact, there is already evidence that moderate consumption of unprocessed soy products significantly reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease. Natural products include tofu and tempeh, for example. So we should be aware that a highly processed product such as a soy-based burger patty is not healthy per se. However, the eco-balance clearly speaks in favor of such meat alternatives.

In contrast to many assumptions, only a fraction ends up directly on people’s plates. Only 2% of the global soy harvest is eaten by humans in the form of soy products such as tofu or soy milk. 18% ends up as soybean oil in convenience products, biofuels or cosmetics. The largest share of 80% is fed to our livestock for meat, milk and egg production. So it is not the increasing trend towards vegetarian or vegan diets that is responsible for the large-scale deforestation of the rainforests, but the large quantities of feed needed for our farm animals and meat production.