Disclaimer up front: this is all in theory, not a claim that eating tofu will make you pale. Most of what follows comes from in-vitro and topical research.
1. Melanosome transfer (the strongest pathway)
Pigment doesn't show in skin just because melanocytes make melanin. Melanosomes have to be transferred to keratinocytes, and a major regulator of that uptake is PAR-2 (protease-activated receptor 2) on the keratinocyte surface. Serine protease activation of PAR-2 increases phagocytosis of melanosomes.
Raw soy contains soybean trypsin inhibitor (STI) and Bowman-Birk inhibitor (BBI), which are serine protease inhibitors. Seiberg et al. showed that these reduce PAR-2 activation and melanosome transfer in keratinocyte-melanocyte co-culture and skin models, and small trials of topical non-denatured soy reported improved tone evenness.
Caveat: STI and BBI are heat-labile proteins. Cooking, pasteurization, and fermentation largely inactivate them
Sources:
https://www.researchgate.net/public..._Extracts_via_Inhibition_of_the_PAR-2_Pathway
https://www.researchgate.net/public...double-blind_vehicle-controlled_12-week_study
TL;DR:
Being a primal soycuck will theoretically help you palemaxx
1. Melanosome transfer (the strongest pathway)
Pigment doesn't show in skin just because melanocytes make melanin. Melanosomes have to be transferred to keratinocytes, and a major regulator of that uptake is PAR-2 (protease-activated receptor 2) on the keratinocyte surface. Serine protease activation of PAR-2 increases phagocytosis of melanosomes.
Raw soy contains soybean trypsin inhibitor (STI) and Bowman-Birk inhibitor (BBI), which are serine protease inhibitors. Seiberg et al. showed that these reduce PAR-2 activation and melanosome transfer in keratinocyte-melanocyte co-culture and skin models, and small trials of topical non-denatured soy reported improved tone evenness.
Caveat: STI and BBI are heat-labile proteins. Cooking, pasteurization, and fermentation largely inactivate them
Sources:
https://www.researchgate.net/public..._Extracts_via_Inhibition_of_the_PAR-2_Pathway
https://www.researchgate.net/public...double-blind_vehicle-controlled_12-week_study
TL;DR:
Being a primal soycuck will theoretically help you palemaxx