Soy protein, bioactive peptides, and isoflavones: A review of their safety and health benefits

Abstract

Introduction

Literature has consistently reported that soy and soy-based foods are excellent sources of amino acids and isoflavones. Therefore, this review summarises the safety and health benefits of soy protein, soy bioactive peptides and soy isoflavones.

Methods

This review was conducted based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Research articles published from 2017 to March 2023 were identified through several search engines, including Pubmed, Google Scholar, Web of Science, Scopus, and ScienceDirect. The search was limited to selected keywords to maximise the retrieval of relevant results. After excluding review articles, conference proceedings, redundant articles, articles without full-text access, and non-English publications, 43 research articles were included in this review.

Results

Evidence suggests that soy protein, soy bioactive peptides and soy isoflavones are generally safe for human consumption. In addition, these compounds may be beneficial in alleviating the risk of osteoporosis, cancers, hyperlipidemia, atherosclerosis, hypertension, obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus.

Conclusion

Soy or soy-related products can be incorporated into our daily diets based on the promising effects reported in the literature.