The Magic of Soybeans

In an ancient Greek Myth, Demeter, the goddess of agriculture, gave her daughter, Persephone, a soybean seed when Persephone needed to go traveling. She told her that the seed could dispel the villainy and cure all diseases. Later, kind Persephone left the seed to people. Nowadays, soybean has become one of the most popular crops in the world. It enjoys a high reputation because of its rich nutrition and powerful functions in health care. The magic of soybeans bring health to people. 
First of all, soybean is the killer of cancer. As we know, Japanese people love bean curd. There are totally 30000 stores selling bean curd. It is estimated that each Japanese person eats more than 20 kilograms of bean curd every year. Experts in Hawaii surveyed 8000 Japanese Americans for twenty years. The results showed that the risk of stomach cancer for these people is much less than that for ordinary Americans. And the risk of prostate cancer for American people is three times higher than that for Japanese people. After well-designed experiments and professional research, experts have found that there are at least five substances that can resist cancer. They are protease inhibitors, phytase, plant sterols, saponin and isoflavone. 
Secondly, soybean is good for ears. The hearing of people over sixty starts to go. Dieticians think it is closely related to the decreasing content of iron in the human body. They argue that when there is adequate iron, the capillaries are dilated and erythrocytes are softened. In consequence, the blood circulation of ears becomes normal so that the hearing would not go bad. Soybean can provide people with rich zinc and iron. If the elderly eat bean products often, they could have good ears. 
Thirdly, eating soybeans can prevent people from strokes. The root of strokes is high blood pressure and cerebral arteriosclerosis. American doctors surveyed 2000 people at their middle ages and found that the sodium content of high blood pressure patients increased while the content of potassium decreased. They made a conclusion that these contents should be adjusted. High blood pressure patients should ingest more potassium and less sodium. Therefore, doctors suggest middle-aged people and the elderly to eat more bean products. 
Fourthly, soybean is the foundation of high intelligence. Research has indicated that soybean is rich in phospholipids, which are natural nutrition surfactants. 20% to 30% of the human brain is composed by phospholipids. If people eat food that is rich in phospholipids, such as soybean and bean curd, the release of acetylcholine in their brains would increase at a high speed. As a result, the memory and receptivity of people will be improved. In addition, soybean is a good source of nutriments, such as phosphatidyl inositol and sterols. These nutriments can activate the nerves and protect human brains.