Significance of Soy-Based Fermented Food and Their Bioactive Compounds Against Obesity, Diabetes, and Cardiovascular...

Soybean-based fermented foods are commonly consumed worldwide, especially in Asia. These fermented soy-products are prepared using various strains of Bacillus, Streptococcus, Lactobacillus, and Aspergillus. The microbial action during fermentation produces and increases the availability of various molecules of biological significance, such as isoflavones, bioactive peptides, and dietary fiber. These dietary bio active compounds are also found to be effective against the metabolic disorders such as obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases (CVD). In parallel, soy isoflavones such as genistein, genistin, and daidzin can also contribute to the anti-obesity and anti-diabetic mechanisms, by decreasing insulin resistance and oxidative stress. The said activities are known to lower the risk of CVD, by decreasing the fat accumulation and hyperlipidemia in the body. In addition, along with soy-isoflavones fermented soy foods such as Kinema, Tempeh, Douchi, Cheonggukjang/Chungkukjang, and Natto are also rich in dietary fiber (prebiotic) and known to be anti-dyslipidemia, improve lipolysis, and lowers lipid peroxidation, which further decreases the risk of CVD. Further, the fibrinolytic activity of nattokinase present in Natto soup also paves the foundation for the possible cardioprotective role of fermented soy products. Considering the immense beneficial effects of different fermented soy products, the present review contextualizes their significance with respect to their anti-obesity, anti-diabetic and cardioprotective roles.