The Pros and Cons of Soybean Bioactive Compounds: An Overview

Glycine max is considered as an economically important grain crop with varied potential health merits in reducing chronic illnesses such as cardiovascular diseases, obesity, immune disorders, etc. These biofunctional and health-promoting claims have been associated with the soy bioactive phytochemicals, or secondary metabolites derived during processing or digestion. That is the main bioactive component to enter the systemic circulation and reaching the targeted organs. However, per our knowledge, only recently have scientists started to pay special attention to the bioavailability and bioaccessibility of soybean bioactive compounds. This current review attempts to describe evidence-based information on the therapeutic and nutritional importance of soybean phytochemicals and the implications on general health. In addition, the bioavailability, metabolism, and biotransformation as well as the safety and efficacy of soybean phytochemicals, were explored since these are of significance for potential application in the food and pharmaceutical industries. However, clinical trials are needed to confirm such functional properties in humans. All data of in silico, in vivo, and in vitro research and their impact on health were collated and orchestrated from a library database and electronic search engines (PubMed, Science Direct, and Google Scholar).