Miami Herald, FL
05-25-07
KITCHEN Q&A
Q: Help! I read that eating edamame inhibits the body's ability to digest protein. I
eat the frozen kind all the time and love to serve it as a party snack.
A: Not to worry. While raw soybeans contain an enzyme called trypsin as well as
trypsin inhibitors, which can affect the body's ability to break down proteins, heat
inactivates the inhibitor, according to food scientist Lester Wilson of Iowa
State University. And edamame (fresh soybeans) are generally steamed or
blanched before serving.
Depending on the cooking temperature and time, a tiny amount of trypsin
inhibitor might remain, but not enough to cause harm. Wilson recalls long-ago
protein-quality testing that did show adverse effects of soy on rats' development.
But in that instance, he says, the rat model and human model were apples and
oranges, so to speak, as we have more enzymes to digest proteins than rodents
do.