Health: Review Casts Doubt on Soy Health Benefits

[Guest guest]

Review Casts Doubt on Soy Health Benefits

 

By JAMIE STENGLE

 

DALLAS (AP) - Veggie burgers and tofu might not be so great at warding

off heart disease after all.

 

An American Heart Association committee reviewed a decade of studies on

soy's benefits and came up with results that are now casting doubt on

the health claim that soy-based foods and supplements significantly

lower cholesterol.

 

The findings could lead the Food and Drug Administration to re-evaluate

rules that currently allow companies to tout a cholestorol-lowering

benefit on the labels of soy-based food.

 

The panel also found that neither soy nor the soy component isoflavone

reduced symptoms of menopause, such as " hot flashes, " and that

isoflavones don't help prevent breast, uterine or prostate cancer.

Results were mixed on whether soy prevented postmenopausal bone loss.

 

Based on its findings, the committee said it would not recommend using

isoflavone supplements in food or pills. It concluded that

soy-containing foods and supplements did not significantly lower

cholesterol, and it said so in a statement recently published in the

journal Circulation.

 

Nutrition experts say soy-based foods still are good because they often

are eaten in place of less healthy fare like burgers and hot dogs. But

they don't have as much direct benefit as had been hoped on cholesterol,

one of the top risk factors for heart disease.

 

" We don't want to lull people into a false sense of security that by

eating soy they can solve the problem (with cholesterol), " said Dr.

Michael Crawford, chief of clinical cardiology at University of

California San Francisco Medical Center.

 

" If they are radically altering their diet where they're only eating soy

in the hopes that this is going to bring their cholesterol down, they're

deluding themselves, " said Crawford, who was not on the panel that

issued the new statement.

 

The FDA in 1999 started allowing manufacturers to claim that soy

products might cut the risk of heart disease after studies showed at

least 25 grams of soy protein a day lowered cholesterol. A year later,

the Heart Association recommended soy be included in a diet low in

saturated fat and cholesterol.

 

But as more research emerged, the Heart Association decided to revisit

the issue. The committee members reviewed 22 studies and found that

large amounts of dietary soy protein only reduced LDL, or " bad "

cholesterol, about 3 percent and had no effect on HDL, or " good "

cholesterol, or on blood pressure.

 

They did a separate analysis of isoflavones. The review of 19 studies

suggested that soy isoflavones also had no effect on lowering LDL

cholesterol or other lipid risk factors.

 

" Soy proteins and isoflavones don't have any major health benefits other

than soy protein products are generally good foods, " said Dr. Frank

Sacks, a professor of nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health

in Boston who led the committee. " They're good to replace other foods

that are high in cholesterol. "

 

Still, the Heart Association statement notes that soy products like

tofu, soy butter, soy nuts and some soy burgers should be heart-healthy

because they contain a lot of polyunsaturated fats, fiber, vitamins and

minerals and are low in saturated fat.

 

" Soy isn't a magic bullet, but it can be a valuable contributor to a

heart-healthy diet, " said Jo Ann Carson, a professor of clinical

nutrition at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at

Dallas who was not part of the panel.

 

It's important not to think about foods in black-and-white terms, said

Dr. Michael Lim, director of the cardiac catheterization lab at Saint

Louis University School of Medicine.

 

" There's no quick fix, " he said. " Our bad cholesterol numbers would

certainly get worse if instead of eating tofu burgers we went out and

had hamburgers each night of the week. "

 

On the Net:

 

American Heart Association: http://www.americanheart.org

 

 

01/22/06 22:44

 

© Copyright The Associated Press. All rights reserved

[Guest guest]

Here is also some valuable information concerning soy - -

Myths and Truths About Soy

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

This is what was supposed to be included in the email concerning soy - -

 

 

Myths & Truths About Soy

 

Myth: Use of soy as a food dates back many thousands of years.

 

Truth: Soy was first used as a food during the late Chou dynasty (1134-246

BC), only after the Chinese learned to ferment soy beans to make foods like

tempeh, natto and tamari.

 

Myth: Asians consume large amounts of soy foods.

 

Truth: Average consumption of soy foods in Japan and China is 10 grams (about

2 teaspoons) per day. Asians consume soy foods in small amounts as a

condiment, and not as a replacement for animal foods.

 

Myth: Modern soy foods confer the same health benefits as traditionally

fermented soy foods.

 

Truth: Most modern soy foods are not fermented to neutralize toxins in

soybeans, and are processed in a way that denatures proteins and increases

levels of

carcinogens.

 

Myth: Soy foods provide complete protein.

 

Truth: Like all legumes, soy beans are deficient in sulfur-containing amino

acids methionine and cystine. In addition, modern processing denatures fragile

lysine.

 

Myth: Fermented soy foods can provide vitamin B12 in vegetarian diets.

 

Truth: The compound that resembles vitamin B12 in soy cannot be used by the

human body; in fact, soy foods cause the body to require more B12

 

Myth: Soy formula is safe for infants.

 

Truth: Soy foods contain trypsin inhibitors that inhibit protein digestion

and affect pancreatic function. In test animals, diets high in trypsin

inhibitors led to stunted growth and pancreatic disorders. Soy foods increase

the

body's requirement for vitamin D, needed for strong bones and normal growth.

Phytic

acid in soy foods results in reduced bioavailabilty of iron and zinc which

are required for the health and development of the brain and nervous system. Soy

also lacks cholesterol, likewise essential for the development of the brain

and nervous system. Megadoses of phytoestrogens in soy formula have been

implicated in the current trend toward increasingly premature sexual development

in

girls and delayed or retarded sexual development in boys.

 

Myth: Soy foods can prevent osteoporosis.

 

Truth: Soy foods can cause deficiencies in calcium and vitamin D, both needed

for healthy bones. Calcium from bone broths and vitamin D from seafood, lard

and organ meats prevent osteoporosis in Asian countries—not soy foods.

 

Myth: Modern soy foods protect against many types of cancer.

 

Truth: A British government report concluded that there is little evidence

that soy foods protect against breast cancer or any other forms of cancer. In

fact, soy foods may result in an increased risk of cancer.

 

Myth: Soy foods protect against heart disease.

 

Truth: In some people, consumption of soy foods will lower cholesterol, but

there is no evidence that lowering cholesterol improves one's risk of having

heart disease.

 

Myth: Soy estrogens (isoflavones) are good for you.

 

Truth: Soy isoflavones are phyto-endocrine disrupters. At dietary levels,

they can prevent ovulation and stimulate the growth of cancer cells. Eating as

little as 30 grams (about 4 tablespoons) of soy per day can result in

hypothyroidism with symptoms of lethargy, constipation, weight gain and fatigue.

 

Myth: Soy foods are safe and beneficial for women to use in their

postmenopausal years.

 

Truth: Soy foods can stimulate the growth of estrogen-dependent tumors and

cause thyroid problems. Low thyroid function is associated with difficulties in

menopause.

 

Myth: Phytoestrogens in soy foods can enhance mental ability.

 

Truth: A recent study found that women with the highest levels of estrogen in

their blood had the lowest levels of cognitive function; In Japanese

Americans tofu consumption in mid-life is associated with the occurrence of

Alzheimer's disease in later life.

 

Myth: Soy isoflavones and soy protein isolate have GRAS (Generally Recognized

as Safe) status.

 

Truth: Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) recently withdrew its application to the

FDA for GRAS status for soy isoflavones following an outpouring of protest

from the scientific community. The FDA never approved GRAS status for soy

protein

isolate because of concern regarding the presence of toxins and carcinogens

in processed soy.

 

Myth: Soy foods are good for your sex life.

 

Truth: Numerous animal studies show that soy foods cause infertility in

animals. Soy consumption enhances hair growth in middle-aged men, indicating

lowered testosterone levels. Japanese housewives feed tofu to their husbands

frequently when they want to reduce his virility.

 

Myth: Soy beans are good for the environment.

 

Truth: Most soy beans grown in the US are genetically engineered to allow

farmers to use large amounts of herbicides.

 

Myth: Soy beans are good for developing nations.

 

 

Truth: In third world countries, soybeans replace traditional crops and

transfer the value-added of processing from the local population to

multinational

corporations.

 

  © 1999 Weston A. Price Foundation. .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

But can't we find the same amount of pros and cons about pretty much

everything we eat and believe to be good for us?

 

Cheers,

Nika

 

poplarhollowfarm wrote:

 

>This is what was supposed to be included in the email concerning soy - -

>

>

>Myths & Truths About Soy

>

[Guest guest]

I absolutely love the cookbook by the people

associated with the Weston A Price foundation.

 

" Nourishing Traditions " by Sally Fallon.

Great mix of cook book basic with nutritional

lore and tidbits from Weston Price's own book

and others.

 

She is dead set against what she calls

" newfangled foods " , which includes soy that has

been tortured into resembling something it is not.

 

I used to eat " just like ground " , by Yves cuisine.

Cooks just like hamburger, nice in chili and such.

Then you start thinking: what is natural about this?

That " food " has to undergo Earth knows how many

processes before it is this product.

 

We had a thread on this topic a while back, called

" Let's have a soy pol " .

People react very differently to soy.

From women in menopause who swore by it, to

people violently allergic to the slightest hint.

 

We have access to a wonderful tofu, organic,

non GM, pure mountain water, and that is our dinner

once a week at least. It always feels really good.

On the other hand, raw soy milk makes me feel ill.

 

Remember to listen to the only expert whose opinion

really counts: the one within!

 

Ien in the Kootenays

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I can stop thinking about the next snack!

ask me, or send a blank email to

nomoresnacks

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