Chicken and edamame: soy holds up, the grams do not match

Across 17 randomized trials, soy protein and milk protein showed no difference in muscle mass (SMD -0.02, 95% CI -0.20 to 0.16). In 5 trials, non-soy plant proteins such as rice, chia, oat and potato fell short of animal protein (SMD -0.58). Soy is the exception among the plant proteins tested. That meta-analysis does not settle chicken against edamame, because the comparison was mostly milk or whey and the soy was mostly an isolate. By weight the two foods are far apart. Raw skinless chicken breast has 22.5 g of protein per 3.5 oz (100 g) in USDA samples, ranging from 21.6 to 23.4 g. Cooked edamame has 12.2 g in the UK table, plus 5.9 g of fiber. The comparison flatters edamame a little, since chicken loses water in the oven and roasted breast reaches 32.1 g.

How much is actually in it

• Raw skinless chicken breast carries about 22.5 g of protein per 3.5 oz (100 g), while cooked edamame carries 12.2 g of protein plus 5.9 g of fiber that chicken does not have. — USDA Foundation Foods chicken breast boneless skinless raw; CoFID 2021 edamame frozen boiled Evidence E source
  Chicken breast protein 22.5 g (range 21.6-23.4) per 3.5 oz (100 g) raw; edamame protein 12.2 g, fiber 5.9 g, 142 calories per 3.5 oz (100 g) cooked
• Folate in edamame is uncertain by an order of magnitude: USDA lab samples average 185 ug per 3.5 oz (100 g), while the UK table lists 15 ug. — USDA Foundation Foods Edamame, frozen, prepared, 4 samples; CoFID 2021 edamame frozen boiled (n = 4 samples) Evidence E source
  USDA folate 185.3 ug (126.6-255.0) per 3.5 oz (100 g); CoFID 15 ug per 3.5 oz (100 g)

What your body absorbs

• Across 17 randomized trials, soy protein showed no difference from milk protein in muscle mass (SMD -0.02), while non-soy plant proteins fell short of animal protein (SMD -0.58). — randomized controlled trials comparing plant with animal protein on muscle outcomes, adults (n = 43 RCTs) Evidence A source
  Plant vs animal overall SMD -0.20 (95% CI -0.37 to -0.03); soy vs milk SMD -0.02 (-0.20 to 0.16), 17 RCTs; non-soy plant vs animal SMD -0.58 (-1.06 to -0.09); in adults 60 and over SMD -0.05 (-0.32 to 0.23)

What cooking and storage change

• Roasting chicken keeps about 65% of vitamin B12 and 70% of thiamin, while boiling frozen vegetables such as edamame keeps about 70% of folate, by the USDA retention table. — USDA retention factors, Poultry Products chicken roasted and Vegetables other cooked from frozen boiled drained Evidence E source
  Chicken roasted: B12 65%, thiamin 70%, folate 60%, zinc 100%; vegetables from frozen boiled: folate 70%, vitamin C 80%, potassium 90%
• Observational data from about 138,000 US adults link open-flame or high-temperature cooking of meat more than 15 times a month with 28% higher type 2 diabetes risk than fewer than 4 times. — 52,752 women (NHS), 60,809 women (NHS II), 24,679 men (HPFS), regular meat eaters, followed 12-16 years (n = 138240) Evidence C source
  HR 1.28 (1.18 to 1.39) for more than 15 vs fewer than 4 times a month; association held for chicken examined separately

What it does to your health

• An umbrella review graded soy protein as lowering LDL cholesterol by a small amount, below the 7.7 to 15 mg/dL (0.20 to 0.40 mmol/L) drop seen with oats, psyllium or plant sterols. — 37 guidelines, 108 systematic reviews and 20 RCTs on foods and LDL cholesterol (n = 108 reviews) Evidence A source
  Soy protein: small LDL reduction (high certainty); moderate defined as 7.7-15 mg/dL (0.20-0.40 mmol/L)

Safety, limits and interactions

• In Italian studies, Campylobacter was found on a pooled 62% of chicken skin samples, which is why raw chicken is handled as a food safety risk. — 48 Italian studies of chicken skin, meat and feces, 2003-2023 (n = 48 studies) Evidence C source
  Pooled proportion skin 0.62, feces 0.67, meat 0.20

What people believe that the data does not support

• US labels may still say that 25 g of soy protein a day in a low saturated fat diet may reduce heart disease risk, although FDA proposed revoking this claim in 2017. — US food labeling, soy protein Evidence E source
  Authorized health claim at 25 g soy protein a day; revocation proposed, not finalised

Who this works differently for

• Food-challenge-verified soy allergy affects about 0.3% of Europeans, the same as cow's milk at 0.3% and below egg at 0.8%. — 93 European prevalence studies, all age groups (n = 93 studies) Evidence C source
  Soy challenge-verified point prevalence 0.3% (0.1 to 0.4); self-reported lifetime 0.5% (0.3 to 0.7)

What is still unknown

• One Italian cohort of 4,869 adults linked more than 11 oz (300 g) of poultry a week with a 2.27-fold risk of death from gastrointestinal cancer. — 4,869 adults in the MICOL and NUTRIHEP cohorts, southern Italy (n = 4869) Evidence C source
  SHR 2.27 (1.23 to 4.17) for gastrointestinal cancer death, above 300 g vs below 100 g a week; all-cause HR 1.27 (1.00 to 1.61)

The bottom line

Edamame folate is uncertain by a factor of ten. Four USDA samples average 185 micrograms per 3.5 oz (100 g), while the UK table lists 15 micrograms, so neither number alone should guide you. Boiling frozen vegetables keeps about 70% of folate by a USDA group factor, and roasting chicken keeps about 65% of vitamin B12 and 70% of thiamin. Both factors date from 1975 and were not measured on these foods. An umbrella review rated soy protein as lowering LDL cholesterol by a small amount with high certainty, below the 7.7 to 15 mg/dL (0.20 to 0.40 mmol/L) drop seen with oats, psyllium or plant sterols. The soy in those trials was mostly isolate or soy foods at 25 g of protein a day or more. US labels may still carry a heart claim at 25 g of soy protein a day. The FDA proposed revoking it in 2017 and has not finalised that, and 3.5 oz (100 g) of edamame gives about half the amount. Two observational findings concern chicken, and both are associations. In about 138,000 US adults followed for 12 to 16 years, cooking meat over an open flame or at high heat more than 15 times a month was linked with a 28% higher risk of type 2 diabetes than fewer than 4 times (hazard ratio 1.28, 95% CI 1.18 to 1.39), based on self-reported cooking habits. One southern Italian cohort of 4,869 adults linked more than 11 oz (300 g) of poultry a week with a 2.27-fold risk of death from gastrointestinal cancer (95% CI 1.23 to 4.17). That rests on about 108 deaths and a single questionnaire, and the authors call it preliminary. The practical risk with chicken is raw handling. Across 48 Italian studies, Campylobacter was found on 62% of chicken skin samples, with very high heterogeneity between studies. Thorough cooking kills it, which leaves cross-contamination in the kitchen as the real risk. Soy is one of the major food allergens. Food-challenge-verified soy allergy affects about 0.3% of Europeans, close to cow's milk at 0.3% and below egg at 0.8%. We have no card on pregnancy, children or medicines for either food.

Sources

1. cked-r5-01 · USDA FoodData Central Foundation Foods and CoFID 2021, dataset
   Chicken, breast, boneless, skinless, raw: Protein 22.525 G, range 21.5625-23.375 (median 22.46875); CoFID 13-667 Beans, edamame, frozen, boiled in unsalted water: Protein 12.2 g, AOAC fibre 5.9 g, Energy 142 kcal
   USDA FoodData Central, Foundation Foods, release 2026-04-30; CoFID 2021, Public Health England, code 13-667 · checked 2026-09-29
2. cked-r5-02 · USDA FoodData Central Foundation Foods and CoFID 2021, dataset
   Edamame, frozen, prepared: Folate, total 185.3 UG, range 126.6-255.0 (median 179.9), samples 4; CoFID 13-667 Beans, edamame, frozen, boiled in unsalted water: Folate 15 µg
   USDA FoodData Central, Foundation Foods, release 2026-04-30; CoFID 2021, Public Health England, code 13-667 · checked 2026-09-29
3. cked-r5-04 · meta-analysis of RCTs
   There was no pooled effect difference between soy and milk protein for muscle mass (SMD = -0.02; 95% CI: -0.20, 0.16; P = .80) (n = 17 RCTs), yet animal protein improved muscle mass compared with non-soy plant proteins (rice, chia, oat, and potato; SMD = -0.58; 95% CI: -1.06, -0.09; P = .02) (n = 5 RCTs)
   Nutr Rev, 2025 · checked 2026-09-29
4. cked-r5-03 · USDA Table of Nutrient Retention Factors, Release 6, dataset
   USDA-RETN-R6:805 CHICKEN,ROASTED, Poultry Products: vitamin_b12_ug 65%, thiamin_mg 70%, folate_total_ug 60%; USDA-RETN-R6:3789 VEG,OTHER,CKD FROM FRZN(BLD,DRAIND): folate_total_ug 70%, vitamin_c_mg 80%
   USDA Table of Nutrient Retention Factors, Release 6 (2007), Retn_Code 805 and 3789 · checked 2026-09-29
5. cked-r5-07 · cohort study
   When comparing open-flame and/or high-temperature cooking >15 times/month with <4 times/month, the pooled hazard ratio (HR) (95% CI) of T2D was 1.28 (1.18, 1.39; Ptrend <0.001).
   Diabetes Care, 2018 · checked 2026-09-29
6. cked-r5-05 · umbrella review
   caused at least moderate (i.e. 0.20-0.40 mmol/L) reductions in LDL cholesterol. Unfiltered coffee caused a moderate to large increase. Soy protein, tomatoes, flaxseeds, and almonds caused small reductions.
   Nutr Metab Cardiovasc Dis, 2021 · checked 2026-09-29
7. cked-r5-10 · meta-analysis of observational studies
   skin and faeces matrices exhibited a high pooled proportion of Campylobacter spp., 0.62 and 0.67, respectively, whereas meat had the lowest proportion of 0.20%
   Vet Med Sci, 2026 · checked 2026-09-29
8. cked-r5-06 · regulatory decision
   (2) Diets low in saturated fat and cholesterol that include 25 grams of soy protein a day may reduce the risk of heart disease. One serving of [name of food] provides ____ grams of soy protein.
   21 CFR 101.82, Health claims: soy protein and risk of coronary heart disease · checked 2026-09-29
9. cked-r5-09 · meta-analysis of observational studies
   The point prevalence of food challenge-verified allergy were as follows: cow's milk (0.3%, 0.1-0.5), egg (0.8%, 0.5-1.2), wheat (0.1%, 0.01-0.2), soy (0.3%, 0.1-0.4)
   Allergy, 2023 · checked 2026-09-29
10. cked-r5-08 · cohort study
    In addition, for GCs, the SHR for weekly poultry consumption above 300 g was 2.27 [95% CI (1.23; 4.17)], a risk that for men increased to 2.61 [95% CI (1.31; 5.19)].
    Nutrients, 2025 · checked 2026-09-29