Soy protein

Studies in people

• Benefit

  Cholesterol levels in adults²

  Soy protein may lower total and LDL cholesterol and triglycerides, and slightly raise HDL cholesterol, in adults.

• Benefit

  Kidney health in diabetes³

  In people with diabetes, swapping soy protein for animal protein may lower kidney filtering pressure and protein in urine.

• Benefit

  Bone-building hormone⁴

  In people, soy protein raised a bone-building hormone more than casein did, but did not change cholesterol.

• Open question

  Muscle recovery after exercise⁵

  In soccer players, soy protein helped lessen the drop in high-speed running during tough training, though muscle soreness was unchanged.

Animal and lab studies only

• Benefit

  Diabetes and blood sugar¹⁰

  In lab studies, soy protein and its peptides helped control blood sugar and inflammation linked to diabetes.

Study type not stated

• Benefit

  Muscle building and recovery⁶

  Soy protein may build lean muscle as well as whey and help athletes recover after hard exercise.

• Benefit

  Muscle strength and size⁷

  Soy protein builds muscle strength and size just as well as whey protein when combined with weight training.

How it’s made and used

• Meat-free food texture⁸

  Soy protein is used to make meat-free foods, but scientists are still working out how its gel texture forms.

• Fat in sausages⁹

  In lab-made sausages, soy protein gel used at 75% instead of fat held more water and scored well in taste tests.

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 two findings in people. 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.