Secret in the Sauce

[Guest guest]

" HSI - Jenny Thompson " <HSIResearch

HSI e-Alert - Secret in the Sauce

Wed, 28 Sep 2005 07:00:00 -0400

 

 

 

 

 

HSI e-Alert - Secret in the Sauce

 

Health Sciences Institute e-Alert

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September 28, 2005

 

 

 

Dear Reader,

 

Is soy beneficial for postmenopausal women?

 

It is according to a new study from China. But before you grab your

keys and rush out to the store to stock up on soy foods, there's one

little soy secret you need to know.

 

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Over there

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First we'll take a quick look at the Chinese study, conducted by joint

team from the Shanghai Cancer Institute and Vanderbilt University

School of Medicine in Nashville, TN.

 

Based on previous evidence that soy intake may increase bone mineral

density in postmenopausal women, the Shanghai/Nashville team conducted

a population-based study to examine the effect of soy consumption on

bone fracture risk. More than 24,000 women over the age of 40 were

recruited from the Shanghai Women's Health Study. Soy food intake for

each subject was evaluated at the outset of the study and during a

follow up period that lasted more than four years. By the end of the

study period, nearly 1,800 fractures had been reported.

 

The results:

 

* A high intake of soy foods was significantly linked with a

reduced risk of fracture

* Risk was reduced nearly 30 percent among women who had the

highest soy intake and had been menopausal for more than a decade

* Risk was reduced by almost 50 percent among women in early

menopause with the highest intake of soy

 

The results were all computed after taking into account potential

mitigating factors such as osteoporosis risk, age, other nutrients in

the diet and socioeconomic status. But one very important mitigating

factor was not considered: where the women lived.

 

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Meanwhile, stateside...

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Soy contains phytates that block absorption of proteins and minerals,

such as calcium. So how could the Shanghai women who consumed the most

soy foods have the lowest risk of fractures when they weren't

absorbing calcium adequately?

 

Answer: fermentation.

 

In the e-Alert " Adult Swim " HSI Panelist Allan Spreen, M.D., explained

that the phytates in soy are deactivated when soy is fermented. When

soy sauce, tempeh and miso are made by the traditional method (which

calls for fermentation), the phytates are neutralized, allowing the

proper absorption of nutrients.

 

Fermented soy foods are the norm in Asia, but not in the West. So in a

typical cohort of 24,000 U.S. women (in, say, Akron, OH), those who

had the greatest soy intake from U.S. produced soy sauce, tofu or soy

milk, would almost certainly not enjoy any reduction in fracture risk.

In fact, they might very well be at greater risk.

 

And to make matters worse, they might also have a higher risk of

developing kidney stones. In an e-Alert I sent you in 2001, I told you

about a study that identified a potential link between soy consumption

and kidney stones. That research, published in the Journal of

Agricultural and Food Chemistry, showed how soybeans, tofu, and

commercially processed soy products contain an extremely high amount

of oxalate, a compound that binds with calcium in the kidneys,

increasing the risk of kidney stone development.

 

For a much broader overview of the health hazards of soy, Dr. Spreen

recommends what he calls a " somewhat scary " article titled " The Ploy

of Soy " by Sally Fallon and Mary G. Enig, Ph.D., published online at

westonaprice.org. It's important to note that the Weston A. Price

Foundation is a pro-raw dairy group. Still, this article and others

that appear in the " Soy Alert! " section of their web site clearly

demonstrate that soy as we know it here in the U.S. is a far cry from

health food.

 

 

 

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....and another thing

 

The Lancet let the cat out of the bag.

 

Research published last week in the British medical journal The Lancet

shows that a flu vaccination for people over age 65 is not nearly as

effective as previously thought.

 

Study leader - Tom Jefferson, M.D. - told The Associated Press (AP)

that it's generally assumed that flu shots are around 80 percent

effective for the elderly. In the current study, researchers analyzed

more than 60 studies conducted over the past 40 years. Their

conclusion: Flu vaccines for the elderly are effective in reducing the

risk of a hospitalization due to influenza less than 30 percent of the

time.

 

Vaccine effectiveness was found to be somewhat better for people who

live in assisted care facilities.

 

You can be sure this is not welcome news for officials at the Centers

for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). October is one of the

busiest times of the year for the CDC when an all-out effort is

underway to sell the flu vaccine to Americans. I don't mean " sell " in

the literal sense. You won't get telemarketing calls from the CDC.

(Not yet, anyway.) But at this time of year, some CDC officials are

busy giving interviews and appearing on television to plant seeds of

fear in the minds of as many citizens as possible in hopes that

everyone will pick up the phone and schedule a flu shot.

 

The AP also noted that the results of the Lancet study are similar to

the results of National Institutes of Health research that found no

evidence of lives saved by giving vaccines to the elderly.

 

To Your Good Health,

 

Jenny Thompson

 

 

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Sources:

 

" Prospective Cohort Study of Soy Food Consumption and Risk of Bone

Fracture Among Postmenopausal Women " Archives of Internal Medicine,

Vol. 165, No. 16, 9/12/05, archinte.ama-assn.org

" Soyfoods Cut Risk of Fractures in Older Women " NutraIngredients-USA,

9/13/05, nutraingedients-usa.com

" Efficacy and Effectiveness of Influenza Vaccines in Elderly People: A

Systematic Review " The Lancet, Vol. 366, No. 9490, 9/17/05, thelancet.com

" Flu Shots Not as Effective in Elderly as Thought " The Associated

Press, 9/22/05, msnbc.com

 

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