Soy fiber

Studies in people

• Benefit

  Gut and cholesterol health²

  Soy fiber, added to some foods, helps with going to the toilet and lowering cholesterol.

• Open question

  Mineral absorption from food³

  In young men, soy fiber helped the body hold onto iron, zinc and other minerals, but too much worked against it.

• Benefit

  Weight and cholesterol⁴

  Overweight adults who ate soy fiber in breakfast biscuits lost more weight and LDL cholesterol than those who did not.

• Benefit

  Diarrhea in babies⁵

  Babies over 6 months with diarrhea got better sooner on formula with soy fiber added.

• Benefit

  Cholesterol and blood sugar⁶

  In people with high cholesterol, 25 g of soy fiber a day lowered total and LDL cholesterol and insulin after eating.

• No harm found

  Small intestine absorption⁷

  Soy fiber did not change how well the small intestine absorbed protein or carbs from liquid diets.

The signal at the top counts the findings in people and in animal and lab studies. A concern in studies of people outranks animal and lab studies, and “No concerns” needs at least one finding in people. When most findings in people point one way, the page leans that way (“Mostly”), and every finding is still shown. Findings whose study type is not stated are shown but not counted. This page is a reference, not medical advice. It describes what regulators and published research say. Talk to a doctor or dietitian about your own diet.