If you haven’t added soy to your holistic weight loss plan, you might want to do so soon. Research presented at the Annual Meeting of the Society for the Study of Ingestive Behavior revealed that a diet rich in soy prevents weight gain in post-menopausal female rats.

Previous studies have indicated that falling estrogen levels during menopause leads to the increased body weight and abdominal fat that often plagues postmenopausal women. While estrogen replacement therapies can reduce weight gain if you’re at this stage of life, they also come with unwelcome and serious side effects. On the other hand, soy naturally contains estrogen-like compounds called phytoestrogens and is generally well-tolerated, which makes it a natural dietary alternative to typical estrogen replacement therapies.

Michelle Murphy from the Monell Chemical Senses Center found that post-menopausal rats that had soy phytoestrogens added to their regular diet lost body weight and had higher energy expenditure. She comments, “These results have implications for the development of alternative natural treatments for obesity in post-menopausal women.”

Another study published in the “Nutrition Journal” found that a soy-based meal replacement program was significantly associated with weight loss and also caused improvements in blood cholesterol levels and blood pressure.

Availability
You can find numerous soy products and soy supplements on the market to enhance your holistic weight loss plan. It’s available as soy milk or beverage, soy capsules, tofu and other soy-based products. Some research suggests that the biggest benefit comes from taking soy as a whole product, in other words, not just as isoflavone capsules. Also, whenever possible, choose organic soy products.

Safety
Some people may be allergic to soy and experience symptoms such as nausea, hives or wheezing. If you experience any of these symptoms, stop taking soy. The research on soy intake and breast cancer is conflicting, with some studies suggesting it can lower the recurrence of hormone-sensitive breast cancer and that it’s not associated with prostate cancer. If you have concerns about this, speak to your doctor.

REFERENCES

ScienceDaily: Meals as Medicine: Anti-Obesity Effects of Soy in Rat Model of Menopause

PubMedCentral: Results Of Soy-Based Meal Replacement Formula on Weight, Anthropometry, Serum Lipids & Blood Pressure