Tofu is made by coagulating soymilk. It has been eaten for
its high protein content for at least two thousand years in Asia.
It is popular among vegetarians for the completeness of soy protein (it is the only plant protein that
contains all the essential amino acid for humans).
Even though the health benefits of tofu consumption are controversial,
researchers have shown that tofu intake reduces cancer risk.
The
amount of tofu necessary to protect against cancer
is
<1 serving, or 228 g (1 cup)/day compared with infrequent
consumption.
The health benefit of eating tofu might be due to the
presence of BBI (Bowman-Birk inhibitors) and their variants, which are a class
of naturally-occurring protease inhibitors. BBI has shown to stop breast cancercells from dividing in a laboratory dish. It may also have anti-inflammatory properties.
In
addition to soybeans, BBI and their variants are found in other legumes such as
mung bean, lentil, pea and chickpea etc.
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