Regular soy intake supports normal growth of teens and has no effect on risk of obesity

Abstract

Soy intake is associated with reduced chronic disease risk. Obesity and overweight during adolescence can affect lifelong health; however, research on the impact of soy intake in growth and development of teens is limited. Our aim is to determine if regular soy intake affects adolescent growth and the odds of becoming overweight or obese. We conducted a cross sectional study among 300 adolescents (158 females, 142 males) ages 12–18 years attending Seventh‐day Adventist schools in Southern California. Soy consumption was assessed with a web‐based food frequency questionnaire. Weight and height were measured at the school. Association between soy intake and gender‐ and age‐specific height and BMI z‐ scores were estimated with linear regression and odds of overweight/obesity with logistic regression. Average total soy intake was 1.2 (SD=1.2) servings per day, mostly coming from meat alternatives (0.5±0.6 svg/d), tofu (0.3±0.5 svg/d), and soy beverages (0.3±0.5 svg/d). Total soy intake was not significantly associated with height (B= −.043 [−.047, .132], p=.348) and BMI (B= −.033 [−.135, .069], p=.520), neither were meat alternatives, tofu, and soy beverages. Total soy consumption does not affect the odds of being overweight/obese (OR: 1.02 [0.87, 1.20], p=.789). We conclude that in this population, soy intake has a neutral effect on growth and the odds of being overweight/obese. Funded by WhiteWave Foods