All About Soy Milk: Nutrition, Benefits, Risks, and How It Compares With Other Milks

These days it seems as if the nondairy milk section is getting pretty crowded. The original plant-based alternative, soy milk, is still going strong, but you may be wondering how it stacks up against other popular picks, like almond, and more trendy sips, like oat, and whether or not it’s actually safe for both women and men. Here’s what you need to know to make the right choice for your diet.

What Is Soy Milk Exactly? Defining the Popular Drink

豆浆是plant-basednondairy beverage, often consumed as an alternative to milk. It’s made from soybeans, and many brands fortify their soy milk with vitamins and minerals such as维生素Dandcalcium。“Soy milk offers culinary diversity, creamy texture, and a healthful nutritional profile, including essential omega-3 fatty acids [if fortified] and flavonoids that exertantioxidant,消炎（药）, and cardioprotective properties,” says朱利安娜·赫弗（Julieanna Hever），洛杉矶地区的植物食品营养师，作者Vegiterranean饮食。

您为什么要喝豆浆而不是乳制牛奶？

There are so many reasons why you might turn to soy milk in yourcoffee, smoothie, or in your cereal. For one, you might not like the taste of cow’s milk, and you may also prefer soy milk over other nondairy alternatives. You may also be trying to avoid dairy for a variety of reasons, whether it’s for health or weight loss.

Some people are alsolactose intolerant, which means that they have trouble digesting a sugar called lactose, which is the糖类found in cow’s milk, says Barbara Schmidt, RDN, a nutrition lifestyle program specialist atNorwalk Hospitalin Norwalk, Connecticut. That can lead to a variety of uncomfortablegastrointestinal副作用;在这种情况下，喝植物牛奶是明智的选择。

There are so many types of soy milk on the market, and the number of calories and added sugar will differ depending on what you buy. Always check the nutrient facts label on your brand of choice. The following is the nutrition facts for one cup of a popular organic unsweetened soy milk: (1)

• Calories: 80
• 脂肪:4 g (g)
• Saturated fat: 0.5 g
• Carbohydrates: 3 g
• Fiber: 2 g
• Sugars: 1 g (0 g added sugars)
• 蛋白质: 7 g

如您所见，大豆将很多杯子包装成小杯子。您会注意到它富含蛋白质，糖低，并提供几克纤维，仅需80卡路里。

在比较所有植物奶时，我们可以说，大豆牛奶在营养上与低脂牛奶最相似。“我称大豆为令人难以置信的可食用豆。所有九个必需amino acids, soy milk is rich in protein and is balanced in fats and carbs,” says Schmidt. It also bestsalmondmilk in terms of protein, as traditional almond milk may have fewer calories (just 30 per cup), but offers a scant 1 gram of protein. (2) (There are some “added protein” versions of almond milk that use pea protein to bump up the protein content.)

Riceand oat milks are other popular plant-based milk choices. Like almond milk, rice and oat milk contain just one gram of protein. (3,4)As forcoconutmilk, using one popular brand as an example, it contains the same amount of fat (4 g), seven times the saturated fat (3.5 grams), but no protein. (5)

Experts have differing opinions on the question of cow’s milk versus nondairy, alternative milks. Schmidt prefers cow’s milk and other dairy products, like yogurt, because they offer a stellar source of calcium. Hever, on the other hand, recommends consuming plant-based foods, and she advises her clients to choose soy milk as their milk (nondairy or otherwise) of choice because it’s rich in protein and low in saturated fat.

无论如何，如果您选择将乳制品与大豆食品（例如大豆牛奶）一起融入饮食中，那么一件事很清楚：豆浆对您有好处。施密特说：“我喜欢大豆，因为它富含异黄酮（属于植物雌激素的植物化学物质），尤其是染料木黄酮。”（（6)“需要进行更多的研究，但是一些研究表明，它降低了癌症的风险，并可能降低骨质疏松症, and the compound can also help reduce menopausal symptoms,” she says. (7,8,9）

The plant compounds in soy may also beheart-protective。The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced a proposal in 2017 to strip soy of the claim that soy lowers the心脏病的风险。“虽然一些证据仍表明relationship between soy protein and a reduced risk of heart disease — including evidence reviewed by the FDA when the claim was authorized — the totality of currently available scientific evidence calls into question the certainty of this relationship,” reads a press statement from October 2017. (10) In response to this, one study, published in April 2019 in theJournal of Nutrition, analyzing 46 trials on adult men and women withelevated cholesterol levels, found that consuming 25 g of soy protein per day for six weeks decreasedLDL胆固醇水平by 3 to 4 percent. The researchers argue that this meta-analysis and review shows that soy is cardioprotective. Worth noting, however, is that the lead study author,大卫·詹金斯（David Jenkins），医学博士，博士, previously received research funding from the U.S. Soy Institute and soy-food companies. Dr. Jenkins is the director of the Clinical Nutrition and Risk Factor Modification Center at St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto. (11）一杯豆浆平均提供7克大豆蛋白。（（12)

多年来，大豆的声誉不佳。有些人甚至可能告诉您大豆增加了您的癌症风险，对breast cancersurvivors. This discrepancy comes from animal studies that found that when rodents consumed high doses of isoflavones, they were more likely to develop breast cancer. As the American Cancer Society points out, “rodents process soy differently from people, and the same results have not been seen in people.” (13) Researchers also fed rodents an amount of soy that people would not get from a moderate intake from food.

In fact, for those looking to eat a diet that decreases the risk of cancer, whole soy foods are a smart addition. “[Whole] soy foods have been shown to decrease breast cancer recurrence and mortality in breast cancer survivors, and to reduce the risk of breast cancer andprostate癌症, as well,” says Hever. (13)

How Much Soy Milk per Day Is Safe to Drink?

You can feel confident in drinking soy milk, says Hever. As for how much soy milk you can drink, she follows the American Institute for癌症Research（（AICR) recommendation of moderate soy consumption. (14) That means having one to two servings daily of whole soy foods, including soy milk. For instance, if you are planning on having atofustir-fry for dinner, you can still include 1 cup of soy milk in your morning smoothie. The AICR notes that research shows up to three servings a day has been found to be safe.

有人应该避免大豆牛奶吗？

If you are allergic to soy, then you should avoid soy milk. “Otherwise, it is an excellent food for everyone else,” says Hever. If you’re pregnant, you can consume soy. Likewise, if you have had breast cancer, it’s okay to consume a moderate amount of soy, according to AICR. (14)

您正在寻找一些东西。Hever说，一，去寻找一个不加糖的品牌。甜味版本可以含有每份约五克糖。（（15) If you want a little flavor, unsweetened vanilla is your best bet. She also recommends choosing organic if it’s in your budget.

Most soy milks on the market are fortified, but read the label to make sure yours contains calcium and vitamin D. (Soy milk doesn’t naturally contain calcium.) “This ensures the nutrients resemble cow’s milk the most,” says Schmidt.

Q: Is soy milk bad for you?

A:绝对不。Hever说，大豆牛奶被认为是一种大豆食品，具有抗氧化剂，抗炎和潜在的心脏保护特性。

问：大豆对您有好处吗？

A:是的！研究表明，大豆食品不仅在癌症保护饮食中起作用，而且每天消耗25克大豆蛋白可以帮助减少“不良”LDL cholesterol。（13,11）

问：大豆对男人不利吗？

A:Soy foods, including soy milk, are not bad for men. In fact, some studies show that consuming soy isoflavones (plant chemicals that are part of a class called phytoestrogens) is associated with a reducedrisk of prostate cancer。（（16)

Q: Is soy milk vegan?

A:是的，大豆由大豆和水制成，并用维生素和矿物质加固。这是素食主义者。

Q: Is soy milk dairy?

A:不，尽管有名字，但大豆不是奶牛。这是一种由大豆制成的无乳基牛奶。

Q: How is soy milk made?

A:大豆被浸入水中，与水混合，然后紧张。某些品牌添加维生素和矿物质以加强饮料。

问：大豆牛奶有钙吗？

A:如果您在家制作豆浆（which is possible), your soy milk will not contain calcium. But if you buy soy milk at the store, most brands fortify the final product with calcium.

Q: Does soy milk have lactose?

A:不，牛奶传统上有乳糖。豆浆没有，即使您也可以享受有乳糖不耐症。

问：大豆牛奶有雌激素吗？

A:No, soy is rich in isoflavones, including phytoestrogens that weakly mimic human雌激素, says Schmidt. But this does not mean that soy contains estrogen.

Q: Is soy milk gluten free?

A:是的，豆浆是谷蛋白free如果您避免谷蛋白在你的饮食中。