Soy was tested against common estrogen therapy in aged female monkeys. The monkeysthat received soy had less nervetangles in their brains compared with the animals that received estrogen or no therapyat all. But the benefits of soydo not end there.
Dr. Mark Messina, a nationally recognized expert and researcher onsoy, says soy also plays a big role inpreventing prostate cancer.
"I think the data for soy and prostate cancer are probably more impressive than any other field, and yet that is reallynot a message that is really getting out to the men, because it is usually thoughtof as soy and women's health," he says.
Soybeans are a unique source of isoflavones. The isoflavones appear to work againstprostate cancer in two ways:
First, they start a process that is sort of cancer cell suicide. Second,they inhibit the growth of new blood vessels, which is necessary for tumorsurvival. Without new blood vessels,tumors starve to death because they cannot get the oxygen and nutrientsneeded forgrowth.
"In fact, some recent evidence indicated that men who consume just one serving of soy milk per day had a 70 percentreduced risk of developing prostate cancer, so I strongly recommend that all men consumeat least one serving of soy perday," Messina says.
Though many people do not care for the taste of soy, there are palatable ways toinclude soy in your diet. Try making smoothies or creamy dessertssubstituting in soy milk. You can even try a glass of chocolatesoy milk.
Soy meat replacements have come along way in taste and texture. Soyburgers can bethrown on the grill or crumbled intoanother dish like chili or a casserole.
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