An insight into the harmful effects of soy protein: A review

Soy protein (SP) is a protein derived from soybean meal. SP is obtained from the removal of the outer shell of soybean and the fatty acid. The dietary supplementation of SP was was reported to have positive effects on human health. Therefore, the attention towards SP is increasing among the consumers, industrialist and researchers. However, the side effects and toxicity related to SP was not summarized, to date. This review summarized the toxic effects such as hormonal disturbances, carcinogenic and organotoxicity of SP based on the clinical and experimental studies. The review mainly focused on the effect of soy isoflavone-genistein on various organs. The main aim of the present review is to increase the public awareness on the harmful effect of SP on the various health aspects and draw the attention of the health care personnel and researchers.