**4. Conclusions**

Soy (*G. max*) is a food of rich nutritional content, in which composition has proteins, oligosaccharides, dietary fiber, phytochemicals (especially isoflavones) and minerals.

Soy is used for the production of oil, flour, milk, protein concentrate and tofu, among others; products that can be used for both human and animal consumption. In addition, soybeans are used for the production of industrial chemicals such as biodiesel, in the treatment of industrial wastewater and in the manufacture of cosmetics and cleaning products.

In this chapter we summarized the benefits of adding soy to the daily diet. Its consumption exhibits numerous benefits for human health. It can reduce the risk of a variety of health problems, such as different cancers, cardiovascular diseases, stroke and it also acts as an anti-neuroinflammatory. What is more, it can ameliorate the toxic effect of cadmium intoxication in several organs.

Soy isoflavone may bind to some hormone receptors, such as estrogen receptors (ER). Therefore, the intake of phytoestrogens was found to be beneficial in breast, ovarian, endometrial and colorectal cancer and also in lung cancer. However, more research is needed to understand its effects, mechanisms and dosages. Several studies demonstrated that the intake of total soybean could also reduce the risk of gastric cancer. The consumption of soy protein and fiber reduces the risk of CVD and is associated with glycemic control. Soy is a high-quality protein that could be an alternative strategy to palliate pulmonary damage in several pathologies and to prevent the damage due to heavy metals intoxication.

Therefore, the use of soy in functional food is very interesting, but future studies should try to elucidate the best outcome considering variables such as genetic load, gender, age, treatment duration and the dosage of soy products consumption in the diet.

#### **Conflict of interest**

The authors report no conflicts of interest.

*Legumes Research - Volume 2*
