Did you know that…
In China and Japan, high soy consumption appears to be linked to low rates of certain cancers. He seems to attribute this to the isoflavones in soy. Interesting!
Among the most popular fermented soy products are miso and tempeh.
Miso is made from fermented soybean paste. It is often used as a flavoring in soups, sauces, etc. It has a salty flavor and aroma.
Tempeh is made from fermented soybeans. It has a firm texture. It is considered a functional, nutritious, affordable, and sustainable source of protein.
Regarding miso, a Japanese study was conducted on more than 9,000 people; it was found that those who consumed the most miso soup suffered less from epigastric problems such as reflux. 1
In basic studies, miso soup was reported to be one of the main sources of daily salt intake among Japanese people. In basic studies, it was mentioned that miso may attenuate the effects of salt on blood pressure in salt-sensitive hypertensive patients. 2 It was also found that the ingredients in miso may attenuate the activity of sympathetic nerves, thus leading to a decrease in blood pressure and heart rate. 3,4
One study also reports antioxidant activity in miso and tempeh. 5
References:
1- Mano F, Ikeda K, Sato T, Nakayama T, Tanaka D, Joo E, Takahashi Y, Kosugi S, Sekine A, Tabara Y, Matsuda F, Inagaki N; Nagahama Study Group. Reduction in Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease Symptoms Is Associated with Miso Soup Intake in a Population-Based Cross-Sectional Study: The Nagahama Study. J Nutr Sci Vitaminol (Tokyo). 2018;64(5):367-373. doi:10.3177/jnsv.64.367. PMID: 30381627. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30381627/
2- Maria L Marco, Dustin Heeney, Sylvie Binda, Christopher J Cifelli, Paul D Cotter, Benoit Foligné, Michael Gänzle, Remco Kort, Gonca Pasin, Anne Pihlanto, Eddy J Smid, Robert Hutkins, Health benefits of fermented foods: microbiota and beyond, Current Opinion in Biotechnology, Volume 44, 2017, Pages 94-102, ISSN 0958-1669, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.copbio.2016.11.010.
3- Hasan, MN, Sultan, MZ, & Mar-E-Um, M. (2014). Significance of Fermented Food in Nutrition and Food Science. Journal of Scientific Research, 6 (2), 373-386. https://doi.org/10.3329/jsr.v6i2.16530
4- Ito, K. Review of the health benefits of habitual consumption of miso soup: focus on the effects on sympathetic nerve activity, blood pressure, and heart rate. Environ Health Prev Med 25, 45 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12199-020-00883-4
5- Watanabe N, Fujimoto K, Aoki H. Antioxidant activities of the water-soluble fraction in tempeh-like fermented soybean (GABA-tempeh). Int J Food Sci Nutr. 2007 Dec;58(8):577-87. doi:10.1080/09637480701343846. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17852485/
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