After 20 years of research, scientists still investigating the benefits and risks of soy and isoflavones in human nutrition.

摘要

This review examines the history, interest, and research performed in the United States on soy products and isoflavones. Isoflavones are phytoestrogens (plant-based estrogens) found in soy, some legumes, and plants such as red clover. While Asian populations have consumed soy in various forms for centuries, it was not widely available in the United States until the early 1970s. Because many consider soy to have benefits beyond its nutritional content, it has been the subject of several federally sponsored research studies over the last 20 years