Soya facts

American Soybean Association. 2024. Animal Agriculture, Ongoing Partnership. Available from: soygrowers.com/key-issues-initiatives/key-issues/other/animal-ag

Bambridge-Sutton A. 2023. Soy animal feed’s trail of deforestation: What are the solutions? Food Navigator Europe. Available from: foodnavigator.com/Article/2023/06/14/soy-animal-feed-s-trail-of-deforestation-what-are-the-solutions#

Climate Focus. 2019. Towards more sustainability in the soy supply chain: How can EU actors support zero deforestation and SDG efforts? Available from: wwf.panda.org/discover/our_focus/food_practice/sustainable_production/soy/resources

Soya is definitely healthy – it’s very nutritious and can bring you a number of health benefits. Soya is high in protein and contains all nine essential amino acids (protein building blocks) required by the human body. It is also a good source of healthy unsaturated fats and health-supporting complex carbohydrates.

Soya products provide an excellent source of disease-busting antioxidants, B vitamins (including folate), iron and zinc. Calcium-fortified soya foods such as soya milk and tofu provide a valuable source of this important mineral without the saturated animal fat, animal protein (casein) and cholesterol found in dairy products. Many soya foods also contain valuable fibre which is important for good bowel health and can also lower cholesterol.

Soya foods, particularly those made from whole soya beans, offer a wide range of nutritional and health benefits. They have been linked to a lower risk of cancer, heart disease and even cognitive decline. Soya consumption can improve bone health of menopausal and postmenopausal women and it’s excellent for your digestive health.

Yes, you can and if it’s not stocked in your usual shops, you can order it online.

Tofu is a soya bean curd with a neutral taste so you can use it in both savoury and sweet cooking as it absorbs flavours very well. There is a wide a variety of different kinds of tofu – you can use smoked tofu in stir-fries, marinated tofu in wraps and sandwiches, plain tofu in miso soup and silken tofu in desserts. See the tofu recipes on our Vegan Recipe Club website for inspiration.

The only soya-based formula that’s widely available in the UK is SMA Wysoy but it’s not vegan because it contains vitamin D3 sourced from lanolin (sheep’s wool). However, it might be the only affordable option for vegan parents who need formula for their baby.

Prémiriz is a French infant formula made from hydrolysed rice protein and is certified vegan. It comes in three versions to suit the baby’s needs as they grow (0-6 months, 6-12 months and over 12 months). It’s only available to order online. There’s also Bébé Mandorle (Bébé M), another European formula based on hydrolysed rice protein. It’s more expensive and also only available to order online.

Of course, there are also US brands which may be available to order through online shops – these include Nutricia’s Neocate Infant, Enfamil ProSobee Soy-Based Infant Formula, Gerber Good Start Soy, Similac Soy Isomil and Earth’s Best Organic Soy Based Formula. All of these contain vitamin D derived from lanolin but are otherwise animal-free.

All infant formulas are nutritionally complete. They must comply with strict standards specifying the nutritional composition each formula must have in order to be approved and introduced into the market.

Babies must NEVER be given off-the-shelf cow’s milk or plant milk until they’re at least 12 months old as these do not provide
all the nutrients a baby needs, can cause digestive issues and may even damage their immature kidneys.

Soya milk is an excellent source of nutrients. It is made from soya beans and contains the same amount of protein as dairy milk, all nine essential amino acids which the human body needs, healthy polyunsaturated fatty acids, including omega-3, and is cholesterol free. It contains less saturated fat and more unsaturated fats than cow’s milk and is an excellent source of B vitamins, calcium (particularly the fortified varieties) and iron. Soya also contains fibre, which is important for good bowel health and can help lower cholesterol levels.

Although severe reactions to food are rare, approximately six per cent of children under three years old are thought to be affected by food allergy, the most common culprits being cow’s milk, eggs and nuts. The number of people affected by food allergies tends to decline with age, with around four per cent of adults being affected. That said, a small number of foods are responsible for 90 per cent of all allergic food reactions and include: cow’s milk and dairy products, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts (including Brazil nuts, hazelnuts, almonds and walnuts), fish, shellfish, including mussels, crab and shrimps, wheat and soya.

The symptoms of soya allergy are similar to those of cow’s milk allergy and include rashes, diarrhoea, vomiting, stomach cramps and breathing difficulties. Very rarely, soya can cause anaphylaxis – a severe and potentially fatal ‘toxic shock’ in allergic people. Soya allergy affects less than one per cent of children and 0.3 per cent of the general population and is not on the rise. Since November 2005, food labelling rules require pre-packed food sold in the UK to show clearly on the label if it contains soya.

There were concerns that genetically modified (GM) soya may be more likely to cause an allergic reaction than non-GM soya but research revealed this is not the case.  If you, however, want to avoid GM foods then choose foods that are certified organic.

Young children (12 to 18 months onwards) can be given any of the different soya milks widely available as part of a varied, well-balanced diet. Before that age, they should only have breastmilk or formula milk which is designed specifically to meet their nutritional needs. However, we do not recommend giving soya milk in place of solid food as although it is a very good source of protein, essential fatty acids (including omega-3), B vitamins, calcium (if fortified) and iron, it is not as energy-dense as some solid foods – pulses (lentils, beans), avocados, smooth nut butters etc. In other words, they might not consume enough calories if they fill up on soya milk.

It is a common misconception that deforestation is occurring so that soya beans can be planted to meet the needs of vegetarians and vegans. However, 75 to 80 per cent of the world’s soya bean harvest is consumed by farmed animals and not humans. It would benefit the rainforests and the environment in general, if we stopped eating meat and dairy foods – even if we ate much more soya. Click here for more information.

Soya contains phytoestrogens – natural substances found in many fruits, vegetables, beans, peas, seeds and wholegrains. Isoflavones are a type of phytoestrogen found in soya beans. Soya isoflavones include compounds called genistein, daidzein and glycitein.

The chemical structure of phytoestrogens is similar, but not identical to, human oestrogen and many of the beneficial effects – and supposed health risks – of soya foods are thought to be related to the presence of phytoestrogens. Phytoestrogens can act in a similar way to the hormone oestrogen, but they are far less potent. Compared to oestrogen, isoflavones are 100 to 1,000 times weaker. On top of that, we don’t absorb all the isoflavones we eat but only a fraction of them, with considerable individual differences.

The concerns that were once raised about phytoestrogens were based on animal experiments and centred around possible adverse effects on sexual development and reproduction. These types of experiment are fundamentally flawed on many levels and aren’t relevant to humans, our physiology or our intake of soya foods. There have been thousands of human studies on the safety of phytoestrogens in the human diet and the conclusion of one of the largest reviews on this topic is that soya intake at levels similar to a typical Asian intake (about 25 grams of soya protein) is absolutely safe and healthy. This figure was suggested not because higher soya consumption could be harmful but simply because there are no studies on people regularly consuming more than that. Bear in mind that soya milk contains four grams of protein per 100 millilitres and tofu around 12 grams of protein per 100 grams so to achieve the intake of 25 grams of soya protein, you’d have to eat three to four servings of soya daily.

While soya phytoestrogens are of no concern and can even lower your risk of cancer, the hormones in cow’s milk are more and more often linked to hormone-sensitive cancers, mainly breast cancer.

Scientists agree that soya can promote heart health – soya food consumption lowers the risk of heart disease, stroke and cardiovascular disease (narrowing and hardening of the arteries – atherosclerosis).

This effect is down to several health-supporting properties of soya, such as its antioxidants, healthy fats and fibre content but also compounds that directly improve the blood vessel lining resilience and reduce the stickiness of cholesterol.

High levels of cholesterol in the blood increase your risk of heart disease because they contribute to atherosclerosis – the build-up of fatty plaques on your artery walls. Soya protein has cholesterol-lowering properties and according to scientists, 25 grams of soya protein daily can reduce your cholesterol levels – this claim was approved by official health bodies in more than 10 countries. What’s more, isoflavones and some soya peptides may prevent artery plaques from forming in the first place.

Another cholesterol-lowering mechanism of soya is that it replaces other, less healthy foods. If you eat bacon for breakfast and replace it with soya, simply replacing the unhealthy food with something more nutritious will improve your health.

Research has also revealed that isoflavones help to maintain blood vessel health because they have a protective effect on blood vessel lining and help to relax blood vessel walls which may slightly lower your blood pressure.

In summary, eating soya is great for your heart!

The low rates of breast and prostate cancers seen in Asian countries have encouraged scientists to investigate the role of soya foods on these and other hormone-related cancers.

Research revealed that soya isoflavones (type of phytoestrogens, natural plant compounds) have anti-cancer properties and act as antioxidants too. Scientific studies show that regular consumption of soya is associated with a lower risk of cancer in general but it is more protective against hormone-sensitive cancers.

Women who eat hardly any soya isoflavones in their diet, have a higher risk of breast cancer while women who have a moderate to higher intake, have a lower risk of the disease. Similarly in men, those who regularly eat soya foods have a distinctly lower risk of prostate cancer

The thyroid is a small gland found in the front of the neck. It produces the important hormone thyroxine, which helps control how fast the body makes and uses the energy it obtains from food. The thyroid gland needs iodine from food to function and a lack of it can make the gland enlarge, forming a goitre. It can happen whether the thyroid is overactive or underactive. An overactive thyroid causes an illness called hyperthyroidism while an underactive gland causes hypothyroidism.

There have been concerns that soya can affect thyroid function and hormones but long-term trials have shown that isoflavones don’t affect the thyroid in healthy people. Research confirms that as long as you have sufficient iodine intake soya is safe and won’t affect thyroid hormones.

Toddlers aged one to three should get 70 micrograms of iodine per day, older children between 100 and 130 micrograms and adults 140 micrograms. The best sources are seaweed (arame, wakame and nori) and iodised salt. Kelp is very high in iodine so use only sparingly or use kelp tablets with specified iodine content so you know you’re not getting too much. Many other foods also contain iodine but in low and varying amounts depending on iodine levels in the soil in which they’re grown. They include wholegrains, green beans, courgettes, kale, spring greens, watercress, strawberries and organic potatoes with skin. Some plants milks also contain a source of iodine as potassium iodide – always check the ingredients!

Even with sufficient iodine intake, soya foods may increase the amount of thyroid medication needed by hypothyroid patients because soya protein may interfere with the absorption of levothyroxine – the synthetic thyroid hormone. Experts don’t discourage hypothyroid patients from eating soya, they simply suggest either altering the medication dose or taking levothyroxine 30 to 60 minutes before breakfast or four hours after the last meal.

Most of the traditional soya products such as tofu, tempeh, soya milk, soya sauce and miso, use the whole bean and so contain more nutrients than foods based on soya protein isolate alone. The latter is a protein extract from soya beans which can be labelled as textured vegetable protein (TVP) and is used in various mock meats and other processed foods. It follows that tofu is healthier than a TVP sausage.

Highly processed foods tend to contain too much fat, salt/sugar and artificial additives, which have all been linked to health problems. However, many mock meat products contain much less fat than their meaty equivalents (check the packaging for details) and provide a cholesterol-free source of good protein. This makes them a better option than their meaty counterparts, which contain saturated fat, animal protein, cholesterol and hormones. There’s a simple rule – eat wholefoods daily but have processed mock meats no more than three times a week.

The key to good health is to eat a wide range of foods including plenty of wholegrains such as wholemeal bread, brown pasta and brown rice, pulses (peas, beans – including soya – and lentils), fruit and vegetables and nuts and seeds. If you want to eat tofu daily and use soya milk for breakfast or drinks during the day, you absolutely can – it’s safe and healthy.

This myth is solely based on animal experiments which suggest that phytoestrogens (plant hormones in soya) can affect sexual development and reproductive function. These experiments are fundamentally flawed on many levels and bear no relevance to humans.

Much research has focused on phytoestrogens and testosterone, the main male sex hormone. A review of 41 clinical studies on the topic concluded that phytoestrogen intake does not affect testosterone levels. The study also found that isoflavones have no effect on oestrogen levels in men, which is in agreement with a previous review that concluded soya has no feminising effect on men. When it comes to sperm or semen quality, clinical studies show no effect of phytoestrogens.

Viva! Health are far more concerned about the effects of consuming the animal hormone oestrogen in cow’s milk.

There is a long history of people safely consuming soya. According to archaeological research, soya was already cultivated in northern China between 7,000 and 6,600 BC, around 5,000 BC in Japan and 1,000 BC in Korea.

Soya milk originated in China and is reputed to have been discovered and developed by Liu An of the Han Dynasty in China about 164 BC. That’s over 2,000 years ago. So you can see, it is not a new invention by any means.