If you peruse the shelves of your local grocery store or favorite nutrition store, you will notice that there are a lot of protein shakes for weight loss available.  However, protein shakes for weight loss are not all the same.  If you are looking to lose weight effectively, choosing the best protein shakes for weight loss is critical.

For many people, Revival soy shakes are the best protein shakes for weight loss for a number of reasons…
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The right soy protein bars are an excellent source of protein, soy isoflavones, and other important nutrients.  Getting enough protein is an important part of proper nutrition.  The new 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans indicates that adult men and women should consume 0.8 grams of good quality protein per kilogram (or 2.2 pounds) of body weight and that protein should make up 10 – 35% of our total calorie consumption as adults.  Soy protein bars are made with high quality protein that provides all the essential amino acids in adequate amounts to meet our nutritional needs.  Therefore, soy protein bars can be a convenient and delicious way to help meet our daily protein needs.
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Soy protein foods come in a variety of forms and flavors to suit just about everyone’s tastes and needs.  Soy protein foods can include items like soy burgers, tofu, soy shakes, soy bars, soy pasta, soy snacks and much more.  While soy protein foods can be eaten by just about everyone to meet their daily nutritional needs, it often seems like many endurance athletes do not realize that soy protein foods are an excellent choice for optimizing their workouts.
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Consumption of soy foods has been reported to have a number of health benefits for both women and men, including benefits for heart health and weight loss.  Nonetheless, men frequently are reluctant to consume soy foods, particularly those with soy protein isolate and soy isoflavones in them, because some “physicians” refuse to publish the latest data on soy isoflavones. I’m puzzled why they refuse to post the latest data.  They erroneously imply that since soy protein and isoflavones help reduce common discomforts associated with menopause like hot flashes and night sweats, then soy could be “negative” for men.
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If you enjoy soy as part of your regular dietary habits, then you are probably well aware of the many benefits of soy.  However, many others are just starting to think about adding soy foods to their diet and are really just starting to learn about the benefits of soy.  Soy has been reported in the scientific literature to have numerous benefits, too many to list here.  However, a few of the reported benefits of soy are briefly discussed below.
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Should soy protein be consumed daily? We have often been asked why it is important to make Revival® Soy part of one’s daily diet rather than eating a bar or shake only a couple of times per week.  This is an excellent question.

Soy isoflavones generally peak in our bodies about 6 – 9 hours after consumption of soy foods like Revival Soy bars, shakes or chips and then begin to slowly decline.  Based on this, most of the soy isoflavones leave our bodies within about 24 hours.  This profile of absorption and elimination is the reason that nearly all of the research studies showing positive benefits of soy were based on daily soy consumption.

In fact research studies have shown that daily consumption of Revival® Soy can help relieve mild discomforts commonly associated with menopause including hot flashes and night sweats, support younger-looking hair, skin, and nail appearance, and may reduce risk of heart disease (details below):*

• Revival® for Hot Flashes and Other Menopausal Discomforts*: Menopause is a natural part of aging. Results from a published menopausal discomfort study reported that Revival® soy can reduce hot flashes and night sweats naturally compared to baseline [1]. Women experienced significant improvements in midlife quality of life with one serving of Revival® soy daily. The study was conducted at a major academic hospital and was funded in part by Physicians Laboratories. Over 20 clinical trials show that daily soy consumption can help you have a more enjoyable and healthy midlife by lessening hot flashes and other mild discomforts of menopause.
• Revival® for Younger-Looking Hair, Skin & Nail Appearance*: Wrinkles are a natural part of aging. A new Revival® soy study shows you can fight the visible signs of aging with regular daily use. Protein is essential for skin, hair, and nail health, and many topical skin creams now contain soy isoflavones. For this study, postmenopausal women with mild to moderate photoaging consumed either one Revival® soy serving daily for 6 months or received no dietary intervention for 6 months [2].  The results showed that 93% of women showed significant improvements in skin appearance with a reduction in skin flaking and discoloration after 3 months of Revival® consumption.  Daily use of Revival® soy for 6 months also significantly improved hair roughness, dullness, and manageability as well as nail roughness, ridging, flaking, splitting, and overall appearance.
• Revival® for Heart Disease Risk Reduction*: After years of carefully reviewing human clinical studies on soy and cholesterol, the FDA concluded that diets low in saturated fat and cholesterol that include 25 grams of soy protein a day may reduce the risk of heart disease.  Just one Revival Soy protein shake or protein bar gives you 20 grams of soy protein. Add in a Revival Soy protein chips snack with 7 grams of soy protein, and it is easy to reach 25 grams of soy protein daily.

Clearly, we believe the research data shows that the key to enjoying all of soy’s benefits is eating enough of it on a regular daily basis to make a real difference.

Start enjoying the nutritional benefits of soy with Dr. Tabor’s Revival® soy protein shakes, bars, snacks, and other delicious products.*

References:

[1] Basaria S, Wisniewski A, Dupree K, Bruno T, Sony MY, Yao F, Ojumu A, John M, Dobs AS.  Effect of high-dose isoflavones on cognition, quality of life, androgens, and lipoprotein in post-menopausal women.  Journal of Endocrinological Investigation 2009; 32:150-155.

[2] Draelos ZD, Blair R, Tabor A.  Oral soy supplementation and dermatology. Cosmetic Dermatology 2007; 20:202-204.

One of the most discussed issues of dietary soy consumption and human health over the years has been thyroid function. Animal and cell culture studies on soy and thyroid function reported that soy isoflavones inhibit the activity of enzymes involved in the production of thyroid hormones [1 – 3].  However, animal and lab cell culture studies are often very different than human consumption. Despite this enzyme inhibition, consumption of soy isoflavones does not appear to actually alter thyroid function since the thyroid hormones and the thyroid gland were unaffected in rats [2, 3].

Studies on soy and thyroid health in human subjects confirmed the findings reported in the animal studies regarding the lack of any effect of dietary soy on thyroid function [4, 5].  Despite this, the concern over soy consumption and thyroid function has persisted. This appears to be due to the fact that many of the human clinical trials have been of short duration, and several internet groups selling anti-soy books have failed or refused to report the newer human studies.

A new human clinical trial addressed this issue by examining thyroid function in postmenopausal women taking a soy isoflavone supplement (54 milligrams of genistein) daily for 3 years [6].  For this study, blood levels of thyroid hormones and thyroid auto-antibodies were assessed in 40 women taking genistein daily and 37 women taking a placebo capsule Read More »

Acrylamide is a chemical that is produced industrially to make polyacrylamide, which is used to treat drinking water and in the production of paper, plastics, glue, and cosmetics among other products. Surprisingly, the Swedish National Food Authority reported in 2002 that acrylamide was also found naturally in certain foods cooked at high temperatures. Unfortunately, acrylamide has been known to cause adverse effects in animals and human beings when given at extremely high doses.

These potential adverse effects of acrylamide have raised concerns about the acrylamide found naturally in foods. Acrylamide in foods is formed by a reaction between the amino acid asparagine and sugars when heated at high temperatures. Acrylamide levels appear to be found mainly in foods cooked at high temperatures for a long period.  While the exact temperature needed for acrylamide formation remains uncertain, acrylamide has not been found in foods cooked at temperatures below 248 oF (120 oC).  Foods shown to be high in acrylamide include items like coffee, some breakfast cereals, crackers, potato chips, and French fries.  A full list of foods can be found on the FDA acrylamide web site.

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If you were to look at the ingredients in many of your household products, including cosmetics, pharmaceutical drugs, and foods, the odds are pretty high that you would find “soy lecithin” listed.  According to the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA), soy lecithin, which is commonly used in foods as an emulsifier and stabilizer, has obtained GRAS status, meaning that it is ‘generally regarded as safe’.

Soy lecithin is used in foods and other products because it is extremely versatile.  In foods, soy lecithin’s properties as an emulsifier are partly responsible for the solidity of margarine and provide texture to a variety of creamy products like salad dressings and chocolates.

But what exactly is soy lecithin?

Soy lecithin is a naturally occurring complex of three of phospholipids: phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylinositol, and phosphatidylethanolamine.  Phospholipids are a class of lipids (fats) that are major components of all cell membranes in both plants and animals.  Because of its phosphatidylcholine content, soy lecithin is often used as a good source of choline, an essential nutrient for cell membrane and nerve function.

Soy Lecithin Allergy?

Despite the utility and good safety profile of soy lecithin, there are concerns regarding its allergic potential.  During the production of soybean oil, soy lecithin is extracted from the soybean along with the soybean oil and then further separated as an individual product.  However, it has been shown that only small, residual amounts of soy protein remain with the soy lecithin.  Soy protein is listed as one of the 8 major allergens; though the FDA indicates that only about 0.2% of the U.S. population is allergic to soy protein and that it is likely that higher amounts of soy protein need to be consumed to cause an allergic reaction compared to other major allergens like Read More »

Scientific research continues to demonstrate the potential benefits that a diet that includes soy protein products might have for a woman’s health. Among the many potential benefits of soy for a woman’s health, scientific studies report that the consumption of soy protein products may help in many areas: heart disease risk reduction per the FDA (Medical References 1-4), weight loss (Medical References 6-10), and hot flash relief (Medical References 11-14).

Recent studies have confirmed the benefits of soy protein products for heart health. This lead to an FDA approved heart health claim. These studies indicate that eating 25 grams of soy protein daily, as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol, may help reduce risk of heart disease (Medical References 1-4). Thus, healthy heart support is one way by which soy might improve a woman’s health.
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