Is Soy Sauce Bad for You?

Soy sauce packs a lot of sodium, but the condiment might have surprising benefits.

  • Soy sauce is a fermented condiment often used in Asian cuisine.
  • Soy sauce is high in sodium, but it has some health benefits.
  • You can try other options if you are sensitive to histamine or want to reduce sodium in your diet.

Soy sauce is a fermented food high in sodium, which might be bad for you if you eat too much. Still, research has found that the condiment has some benefits. For example, soy sauce may improve gut health and reduce inflammation.

There are several types of soy sauce, varying in flavor, that people often use in Asian cuisine. Learn how soy sauce is made, how the condiment might affect your health, and some soy sauce alternatives you can use.

A mother and her daughter are enjoying eating home made sushi and soy sauce together at home.

recep-bg / Getty Images

What Is Soy Sauce?

Soy sauce is a fermented food with a salty, savory, umami taste. People make fermented foods using a careful process in which microbes break down sugars.

Over 2,000 years ago, people in ancient China first used soy sauce to preserve food. Today, people use soy sauce when preparing cooked and uncooked foods, like sushi, stews, or stir-fried noodles.

Types

You might think of the classic dark-colored condiment when you think of soy sauce. Still, there are actually several types of soy sauce, each varying in flavor. Each type varies in how it's fermented, such as the temperature and time, and its ingredients.

Some of the most popular soy sauce types include:

  • Dark 
  • Light 
  • Non-fermented 
  • Sweet 
  • Tamari 
  • White 

How Is Soy Sauce Made? 

People traditionally prepare soy sauce with soybeans, wheat, salt, water, and fermenting agents (e.g., mold or yeast). The mixture is left to ferment for eight months or more. Manufacturers then pasteurize soy sauce before bottling it. The method of choice for producing soy sauce varies according to the country of origin.

Quicker, cheaper methods of making soy sauce might label their products as "hydrolyzed soy protein." Those methods are generally more chemical-driven than traditional ones. Manufacturers may use additives to enhance color and flavor.

Some soy sauces might contain unwanted compounds, such as cancer-causing substances (carcinogens). For example, some of those quick methods produce a chemical known as 3-MCPD. Research has linked 3-MCPD to cancerous tumors, infertility, and kidney damage in animals. More studies are needed to know how 3-MCPD affects humans.

Soy Sauce Nutrition 

One tablespoon of soy sauce made from soy and wheat contains:

  • Calories: 8.48
  • Fat: 0.091g
  • Sodium: 878mg
  • Carbohydrates: 0.789g
  • Fiber: 0.128g
  • Added sugars: 0.064g
  • Protein: 1.3g

Benefits 

Soy sauce generally has a lot of sodium and does not pack many nutrients. Still, research has found that the condiment might protect your health.

Helps Protect Against Chronic Illnesses

Some evidence suggests that fermented soy products might protect against chronic illnesses like certain cancers and diabetes. For example, soy sauce may reduce the amount of IL-6, a protein (cytokine) that causes inflammation. Chronic inflammation might damage your DNA, which increases cancer risk. Still, more research is needed.

Soy products might also treat insulin resistance. Insulin is a hormone your body needs to move sugar (glucose) into your cells. As a result, sugar builds up in the blood of people with insulin resistance. High blood sugar is a significant characteristic of type 2 diabetes.

Has Been Shown To Reduce Allergies

Research has found that soy sauce might reduce your immune response, which might be helpful if you have seasonal allergies. You may have a cough, itchy eyes, and runny or stuffy nose if they come into contact with pollen. Those symptoms are a result of your immune system reacting to an allergen.

Might Improve Gut Health

Research has found that fermented foods like soy sauce help improve the balance of "good" and "bad" bacteria in your gut. That balance, or your gut microbiome, is critical to gut health. The "good" bacteria in your gut help you digest food properly. 

Many fermented foods contain live bacteria, or probiotics, which resemble gut bacteria. Probiotics help support your gut microbiome by evening out that balance if something throws it off.

Risks

Be mindful when consuming soy sauce. The condiment packs a lot of sodium and might not be suitable for people with a histamine intolerance or gluten allergy.

Contains Gluten

Soy sauce contains gluten, a protein found in grains like wheat. Gluten triggers an immune response that damages the small intestine in people with celiac disease. Other people with gluten and wheat allergies or sensitivities might also want to avoid soy sauce.

Has a Lot of Salt

Traditional soy sauce is low in calories and carbs but has a lot of sodium. A single tablespoon of soy sauce contains over 800 milligrams of sodium. That amount is more than one-third of the recommended daily limit for healthy adults, about 2,300 milligrams. Having enough sodium in your diet is essential. In contrast, a high-sodium diet might increase your risk of high blood pressure.

A spike in sodium might trigger water retention, resulting in bloating or slight swelling in your hands and feet. You might notice indentations in your skin after you remove your socks. Your rings or watch may fit a little snugger than usual.

Releases Histamines

Soy sauce, like other fermented foods, contains large amounts of histamine. Your body releases histamines to aid in digestion and to increase inflammation in response to allergies.

Too much histamine might trigger symptoms like:

  • Digestive problems
  • Headaches
  • Heart palpitations
  • Itching
  • Rashes

Tips 

Make sure to use naturally brewed varieties if you enjoy soy sauce and can tolerate it well, Cynthia Sass, MPH, Health's contributing nutrition editor, told Health. Keep in mind that lite, reduced sodium, or less-sodium soy sauces can still contain a lot of salt.

Here are a few ways you can use soy sauce in your diet:

  • Add low-sodium soy sauce to cayenne pepper, peanut butter, raw honey, seasoned brown rice vinegar, and water to whip up a peanut sauce. You can pair peanut sauce with spring rolls or use it as a salad dressing.
  • Create a marinade using ginger root, hoisin sauce, oil, soy sauce, and vinegar.
  • Use low-sodium soy sauce to make a chile-lime sauce. You'll also need crushed red pepper flakes, lime juice, minced garlic, shredded carrots, and unseasoned rice vinegar. The final product makes a tasty dip for shrimp lettuce rolls.

Soy Sauce Alternatives 

Try experimenting with coconut aminos if you are allergic to soy sauce or want a low-sodium alternative. Coconut aminos are both gluten- and soy-free, with less intense flavor than soy sauce. You can use coconut aminos as a one-to-one substitute in any recipe or as a condiment, said Sass. One of the ways Sass recommended using coconut aminos is in a simple stir-fry sauce.

To make the sauce:

  • Mix coconut aminos with some fresh-squeezed tangerine juice, freshly grated ginger root, minced garlic, and crushed red pepper.
  • Sauté with a generous portion of vegetables.
  • Serve your stir-fry with a lean protein over a small scoop of brown or wild rice. Top with chopped nuts or pumpkin seeds.

A Quick Review

Soy sauce is a fermented food that is popular in Asian cuisine. Soy sauce might have benefits like improving gut health and reducing inflammation. Keep in mind: There's a lot of sodium in soy sauce, so ensure you eat it in moderation. 

Coconut aminos are an alternative to soy sauce for people who cannot eat gluten or want to cut down on sodium. Try adding coconut aminos or low-sodium soy sauce to marinades, sushi, and stir-fried noodles.

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22 Sources
Health.com uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
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