The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (N C C A M): Part of the National Institutes of Health

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Soy

Soy, a plant in the pea family, has been common in Asian diets for thousands of years. It is found in modern American diets as a food or food additive. Soybeans, the high-protein seeds of the soy plant, contain isoflavones—compounds similar to the female hormone estrogen. Research suggests that daily intake of soy protein may slightly lower levels of LDL (“bad”) cholesterol.