People Having Soybean in Diets Have Lower Risks Of Different Cancers

Soybean (Glycine max L.) is one of the most important sources of protein and oil in the world. Soybean seeds contain 20 % high quality oil and 36 % protein on dry weight basis. Dry mature raw soybean typically contain 30 % lipids and 9.3 % dietary fibre. Usually animal's proteins have those essential amino acids which are required by our body but te interesting fact is that soybean protein has eight essential amino acids. So, soybean can be a good choice for those who love to be vegetarians. It is directly used in food, paints, cosmetics, canning and in chemical and pharmaceutical industry. Soybean also provides significant amount of iron, potassium, zinc, magnesium, manganese, calcium, Vitamin C, thiamine and folic acid. Several studies have shown that countries which have have soybean in their diet have lesser risk of different cancers. It has been reported that several components of soybean have potential of anti-cancer activity. These cpmponents are protease inhibitors, isoflavones, phytosterols, phenolic acids, phytates and saponines. Among these components isoflavone is considered as best as best for anti-cancer effect of soybean. (Continued)