Many female friends like bean products because they contain [soybean isoflavone], which is said to be very healthy.
This substance belongs to [phytoestrogen] and is named after its chemical structure and function are similar to human estrogen. However, there are also rumors that:
Long-term consumption of bean products will lead to accumulation of phytoestrogen that cannot be completely absorbed in the body, which will lead to high estrogen level in the body, promote hyperplasia of mammary glands and increase the risk of breast cancer.
This makes many women (as well as men) no longer dare to eat tofu indiscriminately.
To be fair: tofu, as long as it is not someone else’s, can really be eaten at ease.
Can bean products lead to high estrogen levels?
Not really.
Estrogen has an effect on women’s growth and development and the prevention of many diseases. However, high estrogen levels in the body do cause breast cancer, hyperplasia of mammary glands, endometrial cancer, hysteromyoma and other diseases.
This is also why many people are worried about bean products.
But in fact, soybean isoflavone can bind to estrogen receptor just like human estrogen, but its activity is only 1/100 ~ 1/1,000 of human estrogen.
In particular, remember that soybean isoflavone has a two-way effect, but it is a [regulator] that helps stabilize human estrogen.
- When the human estrogen level is insufficient, it can slightly make up for the deficiency of estrogen. When the level of human estrogen is high, its combination with estrogen receptor limits the normal combination of human estrogen and estrogen receptor to a certain extent, and reduces the estrogen effect in the body as a whole.
The so-called [supplement in case of low, resist in case of high].
< < Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents > > It is recommended to eat 30 ~ 50g of soybean every day, which is absolutely safe and reasonable intake.
Under normal circumstances, if 50 grams of dried beans are converted into soybean products, it is about 200 grams of tofu, which is about half a box of boxed tofu. Or 800 milliliters, or about 4 cups of soya-bean milk. Actually, there are quite a lot.
Therefore, normal consumption of bean products will not lead to high estrogen levels in the body, men will not become mothers, and women do not need to worry about breast cancer and other diseases.
Bean products can reduce the risk of breast cancer,
Eating bean products not only does not lead to breast cancer, but also studies have shown that it has a positive effect on preventing breast cancer and reducing the risk of death and recurrence of breast cancer patients.
In 2009, a previous study of more than 70,000 Chinese women in American Clinical Nutrition found that the risk of breast cancer before menopause was about 40% lower than that of those who ate less soy products from puberty.
In 2012, the magazine published another survey on Sino-US cooperation. Researchers conducted an average of 7.4 years of follow-up survey on 9,514 breast cancer patients in China and the United States. It was found that the risk of breast cancer death and recurrence was reduced by about 30% compared with those with the lowest intake of bean products.
Other papers abroad have pointed out that bean products are also good for some other cancers, osteoporosis and heart diseases.
A Guide to Eating Bean Products
Recommended Intake of Bean Products
As mentioned earlier, the Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents recommend that each person eat 30-50g of soybean or equivalent bean products per day. However, most Chinese people do not consume enough bean products, with an average daily intake of only about 15g.
Soybean isoflavone drugs or health products are not recommended.
Supplementing soybean isoflavones, you can eat more traditional soybean products such as soybean milk and tofu or three common soybean crops such as soybean, black bean and green bean.
However, for concentrated soybean isoflavone drugs, experts do not recommend them due to the lack of sufficient safety research and obvious evidence to show that they are effective for climacteric hot flashes and other symptoms.
Storage of Beans in Dry Environment
In humid and warm seasons, beans may develop mold if stored carelessly, while aflatoxin is a strong carcinogen.
When selecting beans, it is best to also pay attention to the dryness of beans.
Soymilk must be thoroughly cooked
Raw soybean milk contains trypsin inhibitor and saponins. Excessive intake may lead to nausea, vomiting, abdominal distension, diarrhea, etc. When soybean milk is heated to 80 ~ 90 ℃, it will produce a large amount of foam, which makes people think that it has been cooked and stop heating. This is wrong.
It is suggested that when floating foam, the firepower should be reduced and the heating should continue for 3-5 minutes. Only after sufficient heating can it be drunk safely.