Tag Archives: tofu

Soya beans as a cancer killer

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THE battle to beat some of Britain’s biggest cancer killers could be aided by the simple soya bean.

New research shows that powerful proteins found in the health-boosting legumes block the growth of bowel, liver and lung cancers.

Collectively, these claim the lives of 55,000 people every year.

The research found that soya bean meal – created after the extraction of oil from soya bean seeds – is rich in protein which makes up 40 per cent of the seeds’ nutritional component.

It also contains high levels of oleic acid, a mono-unsaturated omega-9 fatty acid. This helps to reduce the build-up of fat in the arteries which can lead to heart disease and stroke.

In the study, published in the journal Food Research International, US scientists at the University of Arkansas looked at the role soya beans could have in the prevention of ­cancer.

Using a variety of strains high in oleic acid and protein, they monitored the activity between the peptides, or amino acids, from the soya bean meal and various types of human cancer cells.

The study showed that soya bean meal peptides stopped cell growth by a dramatic 73 per cent for bowel cancer, 70 per cent for liver cancer and 68 per cent for lung cancer cells.

Soya beans

Soya beans

The researchers said certain soya bean strains containing high levels of oleic acid could be used as a powerful new food-based cancer buster. Soya bean meal is widely used as a filler and source of protein in animal feed.

The authors wrote: “It could be concluded that peptide fractions derived from meals of high oleic acid soya bean lines have the property of inhibiting cancer cell growth in human cell lines and could have potential nutraceutical use against colon, liver and lung cancers.”


Dr Anthea Martin, of Cancer Research UK, said: “While there is a lot of interest in whether chemicals from foods can prevent or treat cancer, these experiments on soya bean extracts were done using cells grown in the lab.

“This is a long way from saying that these beans can prevent cancer. More work needs to be done to find whether compounds in soya beans might be useful in cutting cancer risk.

“However, we already know that eating a balanced diet, rich in fruit and vegetables and keeping a healthy weight can help reduce the risk of developing cancer.”

Previous research has hailed the health benefits of oleic acid, a fat also found in olive oil, grape-seed oil, nuts and avocados as well as soya.

Products containing soya beans include tofu, miso and soya milk.

Soya milk can protect the liver

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Soya milk is not just good for those who are lactose intolerant – researchers have found it’s good for the liver as well.

A team from the University of Illinois found soy protein, which is also found in tofu, may reduce the build-up of harmful fat in the liver.

Scientists in the US compared the livers of lean and obese rats fed a diet containing either milk or soy protein.

No differences were seen in lean animals. But obese rats fed soy showed a 20 per cent reduction in overall levels of fat accumulation in the liver.

Triglycerides, a type of fat known to be harmful to the heart, were reduced by the same level.

This means soya could protect against ‘fatty liver disease’, a condition linked to obesity that can lead to liver failure.

Study leader Dr Hong Chen, from the University of Illinois, said: ‘Almost a third of American adults have fatty liver disease, many of them without symptoms. Obesity is a key risk factor for this condition, which can lead to liver failure.

‘When fat accumulates in an organ that’s not supposed to store fat, like the liver, that organ’s vital function can be dangerously compromised.’

Soya milk

Soya milk

The findings are being presented today at the annual meeting of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in San Diego, California.


Soy protein appears to help repair a key signalling pathway in the liver involved in fat metabolism, said the scientists. This made it harder for the liver to become a ‘dumping ground’ for excess fat.

‘In many obese persons there’s a sort of traffic problem, and when more fat can make its way out of the liver, there’s less pressure on the organ,’ said Dr Chen.

It follows a recent study from Delaware University that found drinking two glasses of soya milk a day eased hot flushes in menopausal women.

Hot flushes occur suddenly, lasting about four minutes on average, and produce an uncomfortable feeling of intense heat. Sufferers may break out in sweats during the day, while frequent hot flushes at night can severely disrupt sleep.

Professor Melissa Melby found the ingredient reduced the frequency of this uncomfortable symptom by 20 per cent and severity by 26 per cent, following a comprehensive review.