By Dr. Carl W. Hastings

The following appeared in the April 1998 issue of The Healthy Planet:

“Cancer Fighter, Cholesterol Cutter,” read the heading in Good Health magazine. “Lose Weight, Beat Heart Disease, Cancer, More,” agreed Family Circle. “A Top Ten Greatest Medical Advance of 1996” from Health Magazine. “I Have Seen the Future, and it’s Soybeans!” proclaimed Food Trends Newsletter.

If you haven’t heard the news, you soon will. Soy protein is taking center stage as the food for America’s answer to the most serious diseases killing us today. Through the findings of hundreds of recent studies, soy’s positive role in a number of health conditions is being broadcast worldwide. Specifically, four of the most serious conditions have a wide-reaching impact on our population – heart disease, cancer, osteoporosis and menopause.

Heart disease is the number one killer in developed countries, responsible for more than 40 percent of all deaths in the U.S. While many factors, such as smoking and hypertension, can contribute to heart disease, cholesterol abnormality is the major cause. Fortunately, studies have indicated soy consumption reduces total cholesterol by an average of about 10 percent (actually reducing LDL or ‘bad’ cholesterol more than this while raising HDL ‘good’ cholesterol). This is a significant health benefit when you consider that a 10 percent reduction in cholesterol translates to a 20 percent reduction in the risk for heart disease.

The relationship between soy protein consumption and cancer risk also appears strong. Scientists have long suspected this link, as the daily soy consumers of Asia and the Far East have a much lower incidence of cancer than those of us in America. The research has identified isoflavones, plant chemicals unique to soy, as the cancer-inhibiting ally within.

Osteoporosis and menopause are two conditions well known to aging women. Both are associated with a decline in estrogen production in later life. While estrogen produced by the body appears to prevent calcium loss of existing bone, phytoestrogen obtained through soy consumption has been shown to actually stimulate bone formation. In a number of worldwide studies, women consuming soy daily have achieved significantly higher bone density. The symptoms of menopause, such as hot flashes, have also been reduced or even eliminated.

While the previous diseases are among the most serious we face, soy’s health role is not limited to these. Researchers continue to find more and more evidence of soy’s role as one of the most important foods for our health. Weight loss, gallstone treatment, renal disease and anti-inflammatory properties are a few of the additional health benefits linked to soy consumption.

Now for the bad news. The large majority of people in the U.S. consume no soy protein on a daily basis. It simply has not been a staple in our diet, but with the awareness of soy’s impact on our health becoming more and more prevalent, a few leading nutritional companies have acted quickly to offer consumers convenient, tasty ways to obtain it.

Article provided by Terry Cullenberg, Independent Reliv Distributor, 892 Old Danville Road, Auburn, 782-7274.