How Edamame Promotes a Healthy Lifestyle
Nutrient Content
Vitamins
Excellent Source of:
- Folate – 121%
- Vitamin K – 52%
- Thiamin – 21%
Good Source of:
- Vitamin C – 16%
- Riboflavin – 14%
Also a Source of:
- Vitamin B6 – 8%
- Niacin – 7%
- Pantothenic Acid – 6%
- Vitamin E – 5%
Minerals
Excellent Source of:
- Manganese – 79%
- Copper – 27%
- Phosphorus – 26%
- Magnesium – 25%
- Iron – 20%
Good Source of:
- Potassium – 19%
- Zinc – 14%
- Calcium – 10%
Other
Excellent Source of:
- Protein – 34%
- Fiber – 32%
- Omega-3 Fatty Acids
- Omega-6 Fatty Acids
Also a Source of:
- Antioxidants – Isoflavones
*All nutritional information found at (1)
How Edamame Prevents Chronic Disease
How Edamame Helps Prevent Cancer
Edamame are immature soybeans – however, they have some differences from soybeans. This starts with the color of edamame, as they are often a green color.
- Edamame have been shown to reduce your risk of several types of cancer, including breast and prostate cancer. (2, 3)
Cancer is often caused by chronic inflammation and oxidative stress. Both chronic inflammation and oxidative stress can assist cancer cells in spreading and metastasizing throughout the body, as these processes weaken the immune system. (4, 5)
Edamame are rich in vitamin C content. Vitamin C is essential for your immune system to function at a high level. Vitamin C is responsible for the production of white blood cells. White blood cells fight off foreign pathogens and cancer cells. (6)
Edamame is also rich in other antioxidants, specifically isoflavones. The isoflavones in soy have been shown in some studies to reduce your risk of breast cancer. (7)
There is some controversy about the beneficial impact of edamame on breast cancer, as high estrogen levels have been linked to an increased risk of breast cancers. Since isoflavones act similarly to estrogen, it’s assumed that they could increase your risk of breast cancer. (8)
- However, studies suggest that isoflavones indeed have a beneficial effect. They attribute this effect to a specific isoflavone called genistein. Genistein has been shown to have inhibitory effects on cancer cells. (9)
That being said, further studies should be done to confirm the beneficial effects of edamame on breast cancer.
Furthermore, edamame has been shown, in several studies, to help reduce your risk of prostate cancer. (10)
Specifically, studies showed that soy foods, including edamame, can reduce your risk for prostate cancer by up to 30%. (11)
- Likewise, more studies must be done to confirm these results.
How Edamame Helps Prevent Diabetes
Studies have shown that edamame can minimize your risk of diabetes. Diabetes is often caused by high blood sugar levels, which can be exacerbated by consuming fatty foods. Studies have shown that fatty foods can lead fluctuations in blood sugar levels. (12)
Edamame is very low in carbs and low on the glycemic index, indicating that edamame does not have a significant effect on blood sugar levels. It has been shown that by consuming foods low on the glycemic index, you can help regulate blood sugar levels, and minimize risk of contracting type 2 diabetes through chronic blood sugar spikes. (13)
A meta-analysis done with over 40,000 patients showed that individuals who consumed more soy products, including edamame, had reduced rates of diabetes. However, further studies must be done to confirm results.
That being said, we know that increased edamame intake would not have a negative impact on diabetes risk.
How Edamame Helps Prevent Cardiovascular Disease
Edamame has been shown to reduce your risk of heart disease. Heart disease can be caused and exacerbated by buildup of bad LDL cholesterol. Typically, we want to keep good HDL cholesterol high and LDL cholesterol low. LDL cholesterol is accumulated through diet and can lead to diseases such as atherosclerosis. As LDL cholesterol builds up, it clumps together and blocks your blood vessels, resulting in a heart attack or stroke. (14)
Studies have shown that edamame and soy foods can reduce cholesterol levels by up to 10%! (15)
However, further studies must be done to find the mechanism through which edamame controls cholesterol.
Also, edamame is rich in vitamin K. Vitamin K has been shown to reduce cardiovascular disease risk by minimizing blood clotting. Blood clotting can be debilitating to your health and can often lead to serious heart problems, such as heart attack. Edamame provides sufficient vitamin K to reduce your risk of clotting. (16) Those taking blood thinners, like warfarin, show be careful with vitamin K intake and consult their doctor before engaging in a high vitamin K diet.
Edamame Promotes a Number of Health Benefits
How Edamame Promotes Brain Health
Edamame has been shown to promote overall brain health. Specifically, edamame helps lower your risk of cognitive decline and can improve thinking ability, especially verbal fluency. (17)
One study showed that the isoflavones found in edamame could improve cognitive function. The researchers are waiting to perform a follow-up study to see edamame’s ability to have a direct beneficial effect on the progression of Alzheimer’s disease. (18)
As you can imagine, many more studies must be done before it can be concluded that edamame can definitively improve symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease.
How Edamame Promotes Bone Health
Edamame is loaded with vitamin K. Vitamin K has been shown to have several beneficial effects on overall bone health. Specifically, vitamin K helps maintain bone density, health, and durability. (19)
Risk of bone-related diseases such as osteoporosis or rheumatoid arthritis decreases by consuming edamame.
English 
Español