Soybeans are rich in trypsin inhibitors. Will eating soy products affect protein digestion?

This is actually not entirely true.

Trypsin inhibitors are an anti-nutritional factor that is widely found in foods such as soybeans, rice, and corn. Soybeans are particularly rich in protease inhibitors. Trypsin inhibitors can inhibit the decomposition of proteins by proteases, reduce the utilization rate of proteins, and affect the body's digestion and absorption of proteins. However, if we say that eating soybeans affects protein digestion, we ignore a key factor - we normally don't eat soybeans raw. Trypsin inhibitors are afraid of heat, and heating can effectively decompose the trypsin inhibitors in soybeans. Cooked soy products such as soy milk and tofu have very low trypsin inhibitor content and can be eaten with confidence.

Author: He Tong

Review | Zhong Kai, Director of Kexin Food and Health Information Exchange Center