Soy reduces risk of type 2 diabetes
Type 2 diabetes is a serious medical problem with dramatically rising worldwide prevalence. In type 2 diabetes the body does not produce enough insulin or the cells do not respond to insulin. It is a metabolic disorder that is characterized by high blood glucose. Mainly adults suffer from this disease, hence its name adult-onset diabetes, but it is increasingly diagnosed in children in parallel to rising obesity rates. Lifestyle factors such as exercise and diet play an important role in the development of the disease.Mueller and co-workers at the University of Minnesota investigated the relationship between soy products and incident of type 2 diabetes in a population with high rates of diabetes. They used data from the Singapore Chinese Health Study that followed more than 40 thousand men and women. They gathered data about the intake of soyfoods and its components isoflavones and soy protein with a food-frequency questionnaire.
They concluded that based on the obtained figures unsweetened soy foods and isoflavones have a protective effect on the risk of type 2 diabetes.
Source: Soy intake and risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus in Chinese Singaporeans : Soy intake and risk of type 2 diabetes. Eur J Nutr. 2011 Nov 18.