Benefit of eating soy: Reduce wrinkles

Flip on the TV these days and you're sure to be bombarded with commercials for wrinkle-erasing creams. But who knew that slathering pureed soybeans on your face is also a solution for those telltale signs of aging?

James A. Duke, author of "The Green Pharmacy Guide to Healing Foods" (Rodale Books, $21.99) isoflavones in soybeans may help combat wrinkles, and you can benefit from adding them to your diet or to your facial routine.

Women eating soy noticed changes to fine lines after 12 weeks.

Most beans contain a combination of wrinkle-reducing isoflavones. One Japanese study found that soy produced visible results: After eight weeks, women who ate foods containing 40mg of aglycone, a soy isoflavone, each day saw improvement in their skin elasticity, in comparison with women who ate non-soy-based foods. And after 12 weeks, the women eating soy noticed a reduction of fine lines.

In addition to traditional products such as soy milk and tofu, Duke says miso and boiled edamame (green soybeans) are excellent sources of soy isoflavones. Excess soy consumption has been linked to an increased risk of breast cancer, so limit your isoflavone intake to about 40mg daily (about 1 cup of soy milk or 4 ounces of tofu).

Other wrinkle fighters include dark chocolate, fish, green tea and even carrots and pineapple, Duke says. He suggests crushing carrots or liquefying the peel and core of a whole pineapple in a blender and applying it as a face mask for 15 to 30 minutes.