ABSTRACT
The soybean is a source of protein, fats, oligosaccharides, and dietary ber. It is considered to be a complete food because in addition to these macronutrients, it also contains minerals (Liu, 1999; Mateos-Aparicio et al., 2008), essential amino acids and bene cial secondary metabolites; phytochemicals such as iso avones and other phenolic compounds (Sakthivelu et al., 2008). Soy intake is the highest in Asia, where iso avone intake is estimated to be 20-50 mg/day (Adlercreutz et al., 1991; Cassidy, 2003). Amongst the Western population, soy consumption is much lower and infrequent; iso avone intake is negligible at less than 1 mg/day on an average (Cassidy, 2003; Setchell et al., 1999). Table 12.1 shows commonly consumed soy products.
