About two tablespoons of soy dust a day can make a noticeable improvement in men diagnosed with prostate cancer, says a new study, published in the journal Urology. If men consume this amount of soy regularly, they could significantly reduce the levels of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) to screen and track the disease once it?s been diagnosed.

Protein-bound and free ? there are two forms of PSA. Many studies have suggested that men with prostate cancer have lower free PSA levels and lower ratios of free-to-total PSA. Thus the ratio is itself considered as a specific measure of prostate cancer. In the latest study, researchers at the Monash University, Australia, found that having soy for one month results in a 13 per cent drop in total PSA and a 27 per cent increase in the free-to-total PSA ratio in male-cancer patients. Soy grits were given to 29 men, who were scheduled for radical prostatectomy and were compared to other men who ate wheat grains not enriched with soy. Their total PSA amounts decreased by 40 and 21 per cent, respectively while the ratio worsened by 16 per cent and 10 per cent, respectively.

It follows another three-month long study, published in the journal Prostate, which showed a reduction in PSA levels among men with early-stage prostate cancer who drank a little over two table-spoons of soy everyday. Consider Japanese men, who have one of the world?s most soy-rich diets and lowest rates of prostate cancer.

4 benefits of the bean protein

1. Soy’s effects on women are promising too. Those who eat soy protein have significantly greater bone mineral content and density. Soy supplements are often prescribed to women after menopause as a way to prevent osteoporosis.

2. Soy has anti-cancer properties. Some cells are mutated, and they proliferate in a way that’s wild. That’s what causes cancer, and soy seems to stop this. Soy may reduce colon cancer and halt breast cancer.

3. University of Kentucky researchers found that soy protein may reduce bad cholesterol which can block arteries and seep into blood vessels, causing heart disease. Soy’s unique chemicals can prevent the oxidation of bad cholesterol and combat clogging of arteries.

4. The best diet for most people with diabetes is soy-protein which does not affect kidney functions. Isoflavone compounds found in soy, specifically, genistein, may help you stay lean by producing fewer and smaller fat cells.