In today's world where nutrition, hygiene, and health are paramount, can the dark soy sauce be considered a "health" food? Is it beneficial or harmful to one's health?
A study by American scholars points out that the main component of soy sauce is isoflavones found in soybeans, which can lower cholesterol levels in the human body and reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases. The study also found that consumption of soy sauce in Asian countries is 30 to 50 times higher than in European and American countries, while the incidence of breast and uterine cancer is relatively low, which may be related to the common use of a few drops of soy sauce in daily diets. Interestingly, shortly after, the UK also published a research report on soy sauce, which stated that in tests of over 40 soy sauce products, about 10 contained excessive amounts of the carcinogen 3-MCPD. In experiments on rats, researchers proved that long-term intake of 3-MCPD can cause cancer, but it does not pose a hazard to humans.
The daily diet of the Japanese people is inseparable from soy sauce. In the past, soy sauce was considered a major factor in Japanese people developing stomach cancer, but two years ago, the University of Wisconsin in the United States refuted this claim. On one hand, researchers fed rats carcinogenic nitrites, and on the other hand, they also fed them soy sauce. The results showed that the more soy sauce they consumed, the lower the probability of developing stomach cancer.
Soy sauce is mainly brewed through fermentation processes using defatted soybeans, starch, wheat, and salt. Soybeans are highly nutritious, and it has long been pointed out in research that soybeans and their products have anti-cancer effects. When the level of estrogen in the human body is too high, it can lead to breast cancer. The phytoestrogens contained in soybeans can effectively inhibit the production of estrogen in the human body, thus having anti-cancer and cancer-fighting effects. Research has also found that components such as lecithin in soybeans have a certain therapeutic effect in preventing and treating cancer, especially breast cancer.