Rewrite
A research team from the Experimental Station of Zaidín of the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) in Granada concludes that not all soy beverages provide the same nutritional benefits to the body. After evaluating different types of this product, these researchers have determined that those enriched with calcium or with higher protein content contain a greater quantity and quality of necessary micronutrients, both before and after digestion.
The ‘in vitro’ digestive process to which the different samples were subjected replicates the phases that a food goes through after being ingested. Thus, the experts who participated in this research, funded through the project ‘Nutritional properties, bioaccessibility, and functionality of new legume-derived foods’ from the Ministry of University, Research, and Innovation, evaluated the nutritional behavior, before and after digestion, of five types of commercial soy beverages, including those enriched with calcium, high in protein, or low in fat.
The results of the study are presented in the article ‘Analyses of Antioxidant Properties, Mineral Composition, and Fatty Acid Profiles of Soy-Based Beverages Before and After an In Vitro Digestion Process’ in the journal ‘Antioxidants’.
Among the most relevant findings is that some of the beverages studied lost part of their antioxidant capacity after digestion. This means that not all the benefits indicated on the packaging are maintained once consumed. «However, it was also found that those enriched with calcium have a mineral content similar to cow’s milk, which can be beneficial for bone health, as this calcium is bioavailable, meaning it can be effectively absorbed by the body,» explains CSIC researcher Cristina Delgado, author of the article, to the Descubre Foundation, an organization under the Ministry of University, Research, and Innovation.
Research team from the Experimental Station of Zaidín in Granada, which conducted the study.
The research concludes that, although soy beverages are a good nutritional option overall, not all of them behave similarly in the body.
Are all soy beverages the same?
The study focused on three key aspects: mineral content, such as calcium, magnesium, or iron, fatty acid profiles, including the healthy fats found in plant products, and antioxidant capacity, i.e., their ability to neutralize free radicals and protect cells from aging and diseases such as cancer.
Another aspect of the study was the variability among products. Soy beverages offered different benefits: some had a more favorable fatty acid profile, while others stood out for their mineral content or for maintaining their antioxidant properties better after simulated digestion.
Thus, calcium-enriched varieties and those with high protein content showed better absorption of this mineral after digestion and a higher antioxidant capacity. The soy beverage with high protein content has a protein concentration very similar to that of cow’s milk and is highly bioaccessible after ‘in vitro’ digestion. However, other non-enriched soy beverages did not reach those levels.
On the other hand, soy beverages have a higher content of polyunsaturated fatty acids than cow’s milk, such as omega-6 and omega-3, which help regulate cholesterol. Additionally, the study recognized a high protective capacity on intestinal cells against oxidative stress.
However, the one labeled as low in fat had lower levels of protection against cellular oxidation, both before and after simulated digestion. Additionally, it offers less quantity and quality of usable fatty acids, which reduces its nutritional value.
The authors of this study emphasize the need for further research to better understand how digestive processes affect plant-based foods and what factors determine whether their benefits truly reach the body.
.
FUENTE
