Report Includes Legumes in Recommendations as Keys to Cancer Prevention
The report also recommends that people "be as lean as possible without becoming underweight" and "be physically active for at least 30 minutes every day." Samuel said soy-based foods can help with both of those recommendations as well.
19/11/07 In their report, "Food, Nutrition, Physical Activity and the Prevention of Cancer: a Global Perspective," the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) and the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) recommend people should eat more vegetables, fruits, whole grains and legumes to prevent cancer.
Soy is the only legume that provides a "complete" protein equivalent to meat, milk and egg protein.
"An integrated approach to the evidence shows that most diets that are protective against cancer are mainly made up from foods of plant origin," the study noted.
Dr. Priscilla Samuel, Solae's director of nutrition sciences, said the report should help people understand the importance of legumes like soy in a healthy diet.
"The value of soy in a diet is tremendous," said Samuel. "The soybean is a source of soy protein that meets the essential amino acid requirements for children and adults. And now with the panel's recommendations for cancer prevention people have even more reason to add soy as part of a healthy diet."
The report is the second such one from WCRF and AICR and is the result of a five-year process involving nine independent teams of scientists from around the world, hundreds of peer reviewers, and 21 international experts who reviewed and analyzed over 7,000 large-scale studies. The report is available online at http://www.dietandcancerreport.org.
The nutritional benefits of soy protein are numerous:
-- Low in fat;
-- Does not contain saturated fat;
-- Does not contain trans fat; and
-- Does not contain cholesterol.
The report also recommends that people "be as lean as possible without becoming underweight" and "be physically active for at least 30 minutes every day." Samuel said soy-based foods can help with both of those recommendations as well.
"Emerging research indicates that protein-rich foods help people feel full longer, which enables you to eat and drink less and keeps unnecessary pounds off," Samuel said. "Soy foods also are packed with protein-building blocks to help you recover after workouts."
