Soy (Sara Green , University of Mississippi School of Pharmacy

Soy

Scientific Name: Glycine max (L.) Merr.1 Scientific Family: Fabaceae (bean)1 Class: phytoestrogen2

Common Names: Soy, Soy isoflavones, Soya, Soybean1

Background/History1

In Asian cultures, soy has been used for thousands of years and in some populations 60 to 90 grams of soy are eaten in a day. The soybean plant was introduced to Japan, Europe, and the United States by the early 1800s. 49% of the world’s soybeans are produced by the United States. Since the 1990s, foods with soy have increased in popularity and in 2000, approximately 27% of United States consumers had reported to using a soy product at least once a week. Products that may include soy are milk, flour, sufu, tofu, tempeh, miso, sprouts, soy sauce, soybean oil, textured soy proteins, soy protein drinks and livestock feeds. Soy protein is used in food programs in less developed countries because of its low cost, nutritional value, and versatility. Common Uses1

• Asthma • Cancer: Breast and Prostate • Cardiovascular disease risk factors • Chronic kidney disease • Cognitive effects • Diabetes and glucose metabolism • Food allergy/intolerance in infants • Gastrointestinal effects • Menopausal symptoms • Obesity and nutrient intake • Osteoporosis • Phototoxicity • Polycystic ovary syndrome • Resistance training Pharmacology/Mechanism of Action2

https://www.shutterstock.com/search/soybean

Soy includes many isoflavones which degrade to genistein, glycitein, and daidzein. Genistein, glycitein, and daidzein are molecules structurally related to estradiol. Genistein is also an estrogen agonist or antagonist and blocks angiogenesis. Typical Dosing2

• Coronary Heart Disease Prevention: 25 g daily • Hot Flush: 50 to 150 mg of soy isoflavones daily • Hyperlipidemia: 25 g daily to lower blood cholesterol levels • Menopause: 200 mg soy isoflavones daily • Osteoporosis Prevention: 40 to 80 mg soy isoflavones daily Dosage Forms

• Capsule2 • Food (soybean, nut, soy milk, flour, oil)2 • Powder2 • Tablet2 • IsoRel3

Effectiveness2

• Effective in treating coronary heart disease prevention and hyperlipidemia • Possibly effective in treating cognitive function, diabetes, hypertension, menopause, migraine headache-menstrual, osteoporosisprevention, renal disease, and rheumatoid arthritis • Inconclusive data for treating breast cancer, infant diarrhea, and prostate cancer • Animal data in treating chemoprotection • Ineffective in treating hot flush-breast cancer and muscle soreness-delayed onset Safety3

The safety of using this product for certain diseases or illnesses is not very well known. Soy is not intended to be used to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent a disease. Adverse Effects

• Allergic reactions such as skin rash, itching or hives, swelling of the face, lips or tongue3 • Breathing problems3 • Constipation or diarrhea3 • Gas3 • Nausea3 • Stomach Upset3 • Lower estrogen levels2 • Longer menstrual cycle2 Toxicities2

Human teratogenicity data is not available. The use of genistein during pregnancy and lactation has limited data and further studies are needed. Scientific evidence for the use of soy in pregnancy is not available. Interactions2

• Iron: Reduced iron absorption • Levothyroxine: Reduced levothyroxine effectiveness • Tamoxifen: Decreased tamoxifen effectiveness • Warfarin: Reduced warfarin effectiveness Professional Opinion

• In certain disease states such as coronary heart disease prevention and hyperlipidemia, soy products may be beneficial to a patient. In other disease states however, they are no or not as much beneficial evidence. Large amounts of soy should be ingested with caution and under the supervision of a doctor. ~ S. Green References

1. Soy (Natural Products Database). Lexicomp. https://online.lexi.com/lco/action/doc/retrieve/docid/fc_rnp2/3750362?cesid=4Kc3fi4icGH&searchUrl=%2Flco%2Faction%2Fsearc h%3Fq%3Dsoy%26t%3Dname%26va%3Dsoy. Published 2022. Accessed March 4, 2022. 2. Soy. IBM Micromedex. https://www.micromedexsolutions.com/micromedex2/librarian/CS/740DFC/ND_PR/evidencexpert/ND_P/evidencexpert/DUPLICA

TIONSHIELDSYNC/D3BFEB/ND_PG/evidencexpert/ND_B/evidencexpert/ND_AppProduct/evidencexpert/ND_T/evidencexpert/PFAc tionId/evidencexpert.DoIntegratedSearch?SearchTerm=soy&UserSearchTerm=soy&SearchFilter=filterNone&navitem=searchALL#.

Published 2022. Accessed March 4, 2022. 3. Soy isoflavones oral dosage forms. Cleveland Clinic. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/drugs/20099-soy-isoflavones-oraldosage-forms. Published 2022. Accessed March 4, 2022.