Essentially, everyone has heard the term “soy” as in edamame soy beans, soy flour, tempeh, tofu, soy milk, or soy sauce; a multibillion dollar industry. Why so popular? Perhaps, it is because many of our currently available commercial hormone preparations originate from soy. And for women of Asian descent raised on a diet rich in soy, the rates of hot flashes and breast cancer are reduced significantly compared to those of North American women.