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Possible adverse effects of soybean anticarcinogens
1Department of Biochemistry, University of Minnesota, St. Paul 55108.
The Journal of Nutrition
|March 1, 1995
Summary
Soybean processing is crucial for protein utilization. Heat treatment neutralizes heat-labile factors like protease inhibitors, which can negatively impact nutritional value and cause adverse health effects in animals and humans.
Area of Science:
- Agricultural Science
- Biochemistry
- Toxicology
Background:
- Soybeans contain heat-labile factors impacting protein nutritional value.
- Protease inhibitors are primary antinutritional factors in soybeans.
- These factors can cause adverse health effects, including pancreatic issues.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the necessity of processing soybeans for optimal protein utilization.
- To understand the adverse effects of soybean's heat-labile antinutritional factors.
- To differentiate between high-concentration antinutritional effects and low-concentration anticarcinogenic effects.
Main Methods:
- Feeding studies with rats using raw soy flour and trypsin inhibitor fractions.
- Observation of pancreatic response (hypertrophy, hyperplasia, nodules, carcinomas).
- Analysis of adverse effects related to protease inhibitors, phytic acid, and saponins.
Main Results:
- Raw soybeans contain factors that reduce protein's nutritional value.
- Protease inhibitors cause pancreatic hypertrophy and hyperplasia, inhibiting growth.
- Prolonged exposure to high concentrations of protease inhibitors can lead to pancreatic cancer in rats.
Conclusions:
- Processing, such as heat treatment, is essential to mitigate adverse effects of soybean antinutritional factors.
- Protease inhibitors at high concentrations pose significant health risks.
- Further research may be needed to clarify the role of Bowman-Birk inhibitor at low concentrations.
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