Regular soy intake supports normal growth of teens and has no effect on risk of obesity

Soy   intake  is associated with reduced chronic disease  risk .  Obesity  and overweight during adolescence can affect lifelong health; however, research on the impact of  soy   intake  in  growth  and development of  teens  is limited. Our aim is to determine if  regular   soy   intake  affects adolescent  growth  and the odds of becoming overweight or obese. We conducted a cross sectional study among 300 adolescents (158 females, 142 males) ages 12–18 years attending Seventh-day Adventist schools in Southern California.  Soy  consumption was assessed with a web-based food frequency questionnaire. Weight and height were measured at the school. Association between  soy   intake  and gender- and age-specific height and BMI z- scores were estimated with linear regression and odds of overweight/ obesity  with logistic regression. Average total  soy   intake  was 1.2 (SD=1.2) servings per day, mostly coming from meat alternatives (0.5±0.6 svg/d), tofu (0.3±0.5 svg/d), and  soy  beverages (0.3±0.5 svg/d). Total  soy   intake  was not significantly associated with height (B= −.043 [−.047, .132], p=.348) and BMI (B= −.033 [−.135, .069], p=.520), neither were meat alternatives, tofu, and  soy  beverages. Total  soy  consumption does not affect the odds of being overweight/obese (OR: 1.02 [0.87, 1.20], p=.789). We conclude that in this population,  soy   intake  has a neutral  effect  on  growth  and the odds of being overweight/obese.  Funded by WhiteWave Foods