Are There Health Benefits to Soy Sauce and Is It Okay to Have Every Day?

Soy sauce is a fermented soy product invented 2,200 years ago in China. The health benefits of soy sauce are that it is high in antioxidants and it has antimicrobial properties.

Soy sauce is the most commonly used seasoning in Eastern and South Eastern Asian cuisine. It’s also become a popular product in the West. Many different kinds are available. Some versions are healthier than others. 

Although soy sauce can be a delicious addition to a healthy, balanced diet, it’s too salty to eat daily. Make sure to stick to a low-sodium variety if you can’t get enough of this unique seasoning. 

Soy sauce is a fermented soy product invented 2,200 years ago in China. It was initially used as a food preservative because of its high salt content. These days it’s exclusively used as a condiment. 

It can be a tasty addition to a lot of different meals. Soy sauce is frequently used to season: 

• Stir fries and fried rice
• Chinese soups — like hot and sour soup
• A wide array of vegetarian dishes
• Salad dressings

It’s also an ingredient in Worcestershire sauce. 

Instead of being sweet or bitter, soy sauce creates a savory taste sensation in your mouth known as umami. A soy sauce’s exact flavor profile depends on its quality and type. All kinds taste very salty.  

The color can vary between different types of soy sauce. Some varieties are pale and yellowish, but most are dark brown or amber. 

Soy sauce also has a rich aroma that many find familiar. The aroma of soy sauce is usually smokey and malted with some hints of caramel. 

There are two main ways to make soy sauce: through traditional fermentation methods or a chemical reaction called acid hydrolysis. 

Each region has its own traditional fermentation method for creating soy sauce, but the essential steps are the same. These basic steps are as follows: 

• Soybeans or soybean flakes are combined with wheat and starter cultures of specific microorganisms.
• Over time the microbes produce enzymes that break down the proteins, fats, and starches into a wide range of molecules.
• Heat is sometimes applied for various lengths of time to induce Maillard reactions — or browning. This mysterious chemical process creates a wide range of tasty molecules that greatly contribute to the finished product’s color and flavor. 
• The fermentation can last anywhere from one month to four years. Then the product is ready for consumption.

Acid hydrolysis is a much faster process than traditional fermentation. In this case, an acid is used to break down the soy and wheat instead of microorganisms. Then the broken down products are heated for about one to one and half days. After this, it’s filtered and processed until it’s ready for consumption.   

There are many different kinds of soy sauce in the world. Slight changes in the creation process can lead to significant differences in color and flavor. Some of the most common kinds of soy sauce include: 

• High-salt liquid-state fermentation soy sauce. This is the traditional kind of soy sauce in China. It’s also called dark soy sauce. It has a robust flavor, so it’s more commonly used in slow cooking processes — like making soups. 
• Low-salt solid-state fermentation soy sauce. This is another common Chinese soy sauce. It has a shorter aging period and starts with soybeans that have had their fat removed. The product has a more delicate flavor and is used for seasoning light dishes and as a dipping sauce. 
• Tamari. This type is mainly made in Japan. It usually doesn’t include any wheat, but some contain less than 10% wheat and more than 90% soy. It has a darker color but less of an aroma than wheat-heavy types of soy sauce. 
• White soy sauce. This type has a lot more wheat than soybean in the initial ingredients. The end product is a light yellow color with a mild flavor. The fermentation process never gets hot enough to induce the savory browning reactions. 
• Indonesian sweet soy sauce. This is an example of an exotic soy sauce that’s not very common in western cuisine. It has a very thick texture and dark color because browning reactions are encouraged throughout the fermentation process. 

The exact nutrients in soy sauce depend on the way it’s made. Fermentation and Maillard reactions create a wide range of chemicals that are still being researched today.

All types of soy sauce contain relatively small amounts of:

• Protein
• Carbohydrates
• Fiber
• Micronutrients like calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, and certain vitamins, like B6

But the most significant ingredient in soy sauce is sodium. Sodium is one of the two molecules found in table salt. Some soy sauces have less sodium than others. Manufacturers tend to label these products as low sodium varieties clearly. 

One hundred grams of a standard soy sauce that’s made from both soybeans and wheat contains 5,490 milligrams of sodium. This greatly exceeds sodium's recommended daily value— only 2,300 milligrams each day.  

In comparison, 100 grams of a low-sodium variety of soy sauce only contains 3,600 milligrams of sodium. But this is still more than the recommended daily value for sodium. Check serving sizes on your nutrition label and use soy sauce sparingly. Otherwise, you’ll end up consuming way too much sodium.  

People with celiac disease or non-celiac gluten intolerance need to be cautious regarding soy sauce. People with these conditions have a hard time digesting gluten, which is a protein that’s found in certain grains — including wheat and barley. 

Many varieties of soy sauce include wheat in the fermentation process. These types are not gluten-free. But gluten-free soy sauces do exist. Pay careful attention to nutrition labels to find the gluten-free brand that’s right for you.  

Be cautious of gluten-free labels if you haven’t looked at the ingredients. Despite warnings from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), some soy sauce manufacturers try to use gluten-free labels on products that were created with a small amount of wheat. At present, there isn’t an accurate way to test these products for the presence of small amounts of gluten.  

The main reason that soy sauce is bad for your health is that it contains so much sodium. Over time, large amounts of sodium can lead to high blood pressure. When your blood vessels have high levels of sodium, it draws water out of your cells. This increases the amount of fluid in your blood vessels. 

Long-term high blood pressure can cause a number of severe health problems, including: 

• Heart problems — like heart failure and an increased risk of a heart attack
• An increased risk of stroke
• Kidney disease
• Blindness 

Soy sauce contains a wide array of chemical ingredients. Scientists are still trying to determine all the compounds that make soy sauce unique. 

Some of the compounds they’ve discovered so far have bioactive properties that could benefit your health. For example, soy sauce contains antioxidants. These protect your cells from certain types of molecular damage. 

Other molecules seem to have antimicrobial properties. Soy sauce may also aid in digestion by triggering the release of gastric juices.

Overall, we need more research to identify all of the chemical components in soy sauce and determine their impact on human health.