Know2eat

Soybeans and edamame

Glycine max

Also known as Edamame, Soya bean, Green soybean

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The legume behind tofu, soy milk, tempeh and miso, eaten either as mature dry beans or as edamame, the immature green pod harvested before the sugars convert to starch. The USDA reference entry is for the raw mature seed, which roughly triples in weight when boiled; edamame is a much wetter food and a separate entry.

Women's HealthMuscle & Physical PerformanceHeart Health

Potential health benefits

Best supported: Moderate

Ordered by how well the human research supports them — strongest first. A rating describes the state of the evidence, not how impressive the food is. How we rate evidence.

Menopausal symptoms

Women's Health
Moderate evidence

Some trials report reduced hot flush frequency with soy isoflavones, with the effect concentrated in people whose gut bacteria produce equol, and with large placebo responses complicating interpretation.

Moderate evidence. Several human studies point the same way, with real caveats.

4 sources

Deep research mode adds each paper’s own conclusion and stated limitations.

Muscle protein synthesis

Muscle & Physical Performance
Moderate evidence

Several trials report that soy protein supports muscle gains during resistance training, somewhat less efficiently per gram than whey because of its lower leucine content and slower amino acid profile.

Moderate evidence. Several human studies point the same way, with real caveats.

2 sources

Deep research mode adds each paper’s own conclusion and stated limitations.

Cardiovascular risk markers

Heart Health
Limited evidence

Evidence is limited for hard cardiovascular outcomes. Observational data links soy food intake with lower cardiovascular risk in Asian cohorts, but trials measure blood markers over months rather than events over years.

Limited evidence. Early human work, or mostly lab and animal research.

1 source

Deep research mode adds each paper’s own conclusion and stated limitations.

Blood lipid profile

Heart Health
Insufficient evidence

Several meta-analyses report modest reductions in LDL cholesterol when soy protein replaces animal protein in the diet, with the size of the effect debated and much of it attributable to what the soy displaces.

Insufficient evidence. Not enough human research to say anything useful yet.

No source is attached to this association yet, so it is rated insufficient by default. It is listed because people commonly ask about it — not because there is evidence for it.

Ask about Soybeans and edamame

Ask about Soybeans and edamame

Answers are written only from the entries on this page — the same nutrients, compounds, claims and citations you can read above. Nothing is added from outside the database, and every answer lists what it was built from.

AI explanations are not switched on for this site, so there is nothing to ask here. Everything above is read straight from the database and does not need them.

Key nutrients

Nutrient content per 100 grams
NutrientAmount% DV
Macronutrients
Calories446 kcal22%
Protein36.5 g73%
Total fat19.9 g26%
Carbohydrate30.2 g11%
Fibre9.3 g33%
Total sugars7.33 g—
Water8.54 g—
Fats
Saturated fat2.88 g14%
Monounsaturated fat4.4 g—
Polyunsaturated fat11.3 g—
Cholesterol0 mg0%
Linoleic acid (omega-6)9.93 g—
Vitamins
Vitamin A1 µg0%
Vitamin C6 mg7%
Vitamin D0 µg0%
Vitamin E0.85 mg6%
Vitamin K47 µg39%
Thiamin (B1)0.874 mg73%
Riboflavin (B2)0.87 mg67%
Niacin (B3)1.62 mg10%
Pantothenic acid (B5)0.793 mg16%
Vitamin B60.377 mg22%
Folate375 µg94%
Vitamin B120 µg0%
Choline116 mg21%
Minerals
Calcium277 mg21%
Iron15.7 mg87%
Magnesium280 mg67%
Phosphorus704 mg56%
Potassium1797 mg38%
Sodium2 mg0%
Zinc4.89 mg44%
Copper1.66 mg184%
Manganese2.52 mg109%
Selenium17.8 µg32%
Other measured compounds
Beta-carotene13 µg—
Alpha-carotene0 µg—
Lycopene0 µg—
Lutein + zeaxanthin0 µg—
Caffeine0 mg—
Ash4.87 g—

Nutrient values are per 100 g of the USDA reference entry named on this page and vary with variety, growing conditions, storage and preparation.

Source record: Soybeans, mature seeds, raw (USDA FoodData Central, FDC ID 174270).

% DV uses the FDA Daily Values for adults and children aged 4 and over. A dash means no Daily Value has been established for that nutrient.

Bioactive compounds

Compounds present in meaningful amounts. Presence is banded rather than quantified, because whole-food levels vary enormously with variety, growing conditions, storage and preparation.

How preparation changes things

Only effects with real support are listed. If a preparation method is missing, it is because nothing dependable is documented — not because it makes no difference.

  • fermentedReduces phytate

    Fermentation into tempeh, miso or natto lowers phytate, improves mineral availability, and converts isoflavone glycosides into the aglycone forms, which are absorbed faster.

  • boiledReduces trypsin inhibitors and lectins

    Soybeans contain heat-labile trypsin inhibitors and lectins and must be cooked thoroughly. This is why raw soy flour and undercooked soy milk are not used as foods.

Things to know

Allergies, interactions and intake concerns. Every food gets this section — a reference where everything is uniformly good is not a reference.

  • Allergy

    Soy allergy

    Soy is one of the major regulated allergens. It is most common in infants and young children, many of whom outgrow it, and soy protein appears in a very wide range of processed foods.

  • Worth knowing

    Thyroid function where iodine is low

    Soy isoflavones inhibit thyroid peroxidase in laboratory conditions, and the goitrogenic effect in people appears essentially confined to those who are iodine deficient. In iodine-sufficient adults with normal thyroid function, trials show no clinically meaningful change. People taking levothyroxine should separate soy foods from their dose, since soy reduces absorption of the medicine.

  • Worth knowing

    Isoflavones and breast cancer

    Because isoflavones bind oestrogen receptors weakly, soy has been suspected of raising breast cancer risk. The human evidence is largely reassuring: observational studies, including cohorts of breast cancer survivors, associate soy food intake with no increase in recurrence or mortality and in some Asian cohorts with lower risk, and clinical trials find no adverse effect on breast tissue markers. That evidence concerns soy foods rather than high-dose isolated isoflavone supplements, on which data are thinner, and anyone on endocrine therapy should raise supplements with their oncologist.

  • Worth knowing

    Phytate and mineral absorption

    Soy is high in phytate, which binds iron and zinc. Fermentation into tempeh, miso or natto reduces it substantially.

  • Worth knowing

    FODMAPs vary by product

    Whole soybeans and soy milk made from whole beans are high in galacto-oligosaccharides, while firm tofu, where most of the water-soluble carbohydrate is pressed out, is low-FODMAP and usually well tolerated.