There are claims that eating soy bean products promote good health.

Is this just a lot of hype, or is there valid research to back up these claims?

An "integrative medicine" approach to the question would be to go to the medical research and see what has been done to scientifically investigate this question.

Studies of populations of people who eat a primarily plant-based diet find that these people generally enjoy a lower rate of cancer. It is felt that this effect is at least in part due to the phytoestrogens (or plant based estrogen hormone-like chemicals) that are found in certain plant foods.

A 1995 article in the journal Cancer Causes and Control suggests that diets high in phytoestrogens reduce breast cancer incidence. It is known that higher percentages of body fat increase the risk of breast cancer. In this article the authors believe that phytoestrogens block the ability of higher body weight to cause breast cancer.

The journal Obstetrics and Gynecology wrote a review of the medical literature related to phytoestrogens. They found 861 medical journal articles on the subject and concluded that phytoestrogens can decrease heart disease, cancer and symptoms of menopause.

The benefit is not just for women and breast cancer; several articles have been published demonstrating that men who consume more phytoestrogens have a lower rate of prostate cancer.

There is debate as to just how these benefits come about but according to the authors of the textbook Endocrinology and Metabolism Clinics, the phytoestrogens act similarly to the newest class of estrogen-related drugs, the "SERMs." Evista is the prescription drug in this category, and this is being used for Estrogen Replacement Therapy, especially in women who need to or desire to avoid some of the symptoms from traditional estrogen prescriptions.

The foods which contain the highest amounts of phytoestrogens are predominantly soy based foods, such as tofu and soy beans, but also sprouts, legumes, alfalfa, flax, and whole grains, as well as dark beans, dried beans, peas, broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, and chili.

What you eat does affect your health - it's no hype.