The Dark Side of Soy

[Guest guest]

Soy For You

A few years ago, if you had asked me what the best "health food" in

the world was, I probably would have said "soy."

Now I'm not so sure.

For years, we've been hearing that soy is a good source of protein,

lowers cholesterol and reduces the risk for heart disease. There was

also talk of soy protein having a protective effect against cancer. The

reputation of soy still seems solid with mainstream doctors and

dietitians. Lately, however, there have been rumblings of dissent in

the nutritional community -- and some of these rumblings are very loud.

Have we been oversold on soy?

To find out, I spoke with Kaayla Daniel, PhD, CCN, nutritionist and

author of The Whole Soy Story: The Dark Side of America's

Favorite Health Food

(New Trends), who wrote three well-documented protests filed with the

FDA regarding the proposed soy protein/cancer health claim. What I

learned was disturbing.

MARKETING Versus SCIENCE

"Soy is not a health food, soy is not a panacea and soy has not even

been proven safe," Dr. Daniel told me. "It's a triumph of marketing

over real science." According to Dr. Daniel, the soy we are being sold

in today's US market is a far cry from the soy eaten in Asian diets.

"The type of food Asians eat is very different from what's appearing on

the American table," she said. "While Asians do indeed eat small

amounts of old-fashioned whole soy, they do not consume processed

products made with soy protein isolate, texturized vegetable protein

and soy oil. They rarely if ever consume soy shakes, energy bars, soy

milk, soy burgers and other newly invented foods that use processed soy

rather than 'the real deal'."

THE PROBLEMS WITH SOY

According to Dr. Daniel -- and to the growing number of soy

detractors -- there are several other problems with soy...

First, it's not a particularly good source of protein. "Soy is very

low in an essential amino acid called methionine,

without which it can't be fully digested and utilized by the system,"

said Dr. Daniel. "It consistently scores low on almost all protein

ratings except one, the protein digestibility corrected amino acid

score (PDCAAS), which was set up as almost an 'affirmative action'

rating system to make soy look better than it is." (See Daily

Health News, October 10, 2005, for protein rating systems and

the poor performance of soy.)

Second, soy contains phytates. Phytates are compounds

found

in beans, grains and seeds that bind toxic metals such as cadmium (a

good thing), but also bind with minerals such as iron, zinc, calcium

and magnesium, preventing their absorption (a bad thing). Phytates can

cause iron deficiencies, leading to fatigue, lethargy, poor athletic

performance and a weakened immune system. Iron deficiencies also can

affect the thyroid, which in turn leads to weight gain.

Soy also contains protease inhibitors, compounds that

inhibit important enzymes, such as trypsin, which are needed to digest

protein. Protease inhibitors are the reason that soy protein, in all

forms, is notoriously hard to digest and can badly stress the pancreas.

"The commonly held notion that low levels of these protease inhibitors

pose no threat to human health is simply untrue," said Dr. Daniel.

Protease inhibitors have been linked to malnutrition and pancreatic

disease. "While it's widely believed that cooking destroys them, it

does not eliminate them completely."

Finally, there's the issue of phytoestrogens, which are

plant estrogens found in soybeans. Phytoestrogens exert estrogenic

effects directly and indirectly throughout the body. When eaten in

sufficiently large quantities, "they can interfere with the production

of thyroid hormones, disrupt menstrual cycles, contribute to

infertility, even interfere with testosterone production in men,

reducing their sex drive," Dr. Daniel told me. She concedes that soy

sometimes reduces hot flashes but warns that the possible benefit is

outweighed by proven risks to the thyroid, already a vulnerable gland

for menopausal women, most often causing weight gain, fatigue and brain

fog. Due to dangerous risks to ovarian hormone production, these

phytoestrogen products derived from soy should not be used over the

long run to treat PMS or symptoms of menopause.

SOY AND CANCER

As for the claim that soy prevents cancer, soy estrogens are listed

as carcinogens in some chemistry textbooks. Dr. Daniel believes that

compounds in soy may indeed have valid pharmaceutical uses in cancer

treatment, but that's not the same as saying we should eat a lot of soy

foods. According to Dr. Daniel, numerous studies actually show that soy

can contribute to, cause and accelerate the growth of cancer. "Most

alarmingly," she told me, "parents who feed their infants soy formula

are unwittingly giving them the hormonal equivalent of three to five

birth control pills a day, potentially interfering with brain and

reproductive system development." The British Dietetic Association,

Swiss Federal Health Service and other health authorities have warned

parents and pediatricians against the use of soy formula, but in

America, 25% of the bottle-fed market uses soy formula... and this

number is growing.

Although most researchers are more moderate, believing that one or

two portions of a good soy protein a day are probably fine, more and

more nutritionists share Dr. Daniel's thinking. "There's no problem

eating traditionally fermented products like miso in moderation, and

even a little tofu once in a while," she told me, "but for people who

want protein shakes, whey is a much better choice. The problem isn't

the moderate consumption of soy -- it is the enthusiastic view of it as

a perfect protein option for those looking to reduce their consumption

of red meat and dairy products."

The answer? Moderation. Almonds anyone?

[Guest guest]

James,

 

Thanks for this article. I'd read very similar info in prior posts to this & other veg. lists. I believe the moral of the story is that anything plant-derived (that's not inherently toxic to humans) is good in moderation. Since I went raw, I eat much less soy than I did as a standard-issue vegan. The article begs the question, re: Asian diets, whether sprouted soybeans are any safer, more nutritious and/or more digestible than soy in popular cooked, processed forms as we find in Westernized nations. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I understand that sprouting seeds, nuts, grains and beans always makes them more digestible, even if they're not natural food for humans (anthropoids), particularly beans & grains. They become exponentially more nutritious as their enzyme inhibitors (ie. protease mentioned in the article) are released and neutralized and they transform into so-called "superfoods" with heightened life force. When I visited Lotte Plaza, the Asian market in Ellicott City, yesterday, I saw 2 lb. bags of both mung bean and soy sprouts & seriously considered buying one of them to use as the base of my nutmeat burritos. An equivalent amount (85 g) of soy sprouts was quoted as having 11 g protein, compared to 3 g protein in mung bean sprouts. I know too much protein of any kind is carcinogenic, plus our bodies must work harder to digest it than sugar, so I decided against buying either, since I don't have any nutmeat ready-made at home & don't need them anyhow. I can sprout my own seeds at home, even if I lack soybeans. Do you know anything about the possible hazards of soy sprouts, especially when conventionally grown as in an Asian market, in light of the article's content?

 

Namaste,

David

 

The animals of the world exist for their own reasons. They were not made for humans any more than blacks were made for whites or women for men." --Alice Walker, Forward to "The Dreaded Comparison" by Marjorie Spiegel"Patriotism means to stand by the country. It does not mean to stand by the president or any other public official save exactly to the degree in which he himself stands by the country. It is patriotic to support him insofar as he efficiently serves the country. It is unpatriotic not to oppose him to the exact extent that by inefficiency or otherwise he fails in his duty to stand by the country."--Pres. Theodore Roosevelt, 1908

 

 

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[Guest guest]

Dear James ,

I too have read reports about soy. However, at a Live Food Program in CA that I attended with Nomi Shannon, the daughter of Dr. Max Gerson of the Gerson Institute advised the audience that there is no room for soy in a healing diet. (the Gerson's are known for healing folks of cancer at their facility). Most people in the audience were shocked and wanted to discuss it. However, she was very firm and stated soy is not a good food for us.

I occasionally sprout soy seeds. However my feeling is that most soy is processed. That is a big issue alone for anyone on live foods.

Years ago I thought soy was excellent for women in menopause.

Lynda

[Guest guest]

I have no response to your question.

 

James

 

 

dapperd72 wrote:

 

 

 

James,

 

Thanks for this article. I'd read very similar info in prior

posts to this & other veg. lists. I believe the moral of the story

is that anything plant-derived (that's not inherently toxic to humans)

is good in moderation. Since I went raw, I eat much less soy than I did

as a standard-issue vegan. The article begs the question, re: Asian

diets, whether sprouted soybeans are any safer, more nutritious and/or

more digestible than soy in popular cooked, processed forms as we find

in Westernized nations. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I understand that

sprouting seeds, nuts, grains and beans always makes them more

digestible, even if they're not natural food for humans (anthropoids),

particularly beans & grains. They become exponentially more

nutritious as their enzyme inhibitors (ie. protease mentioned in the

article) are released and neutralized and they transform into so-called

"superfoods" with heightened life force. When I visited Lotte Plaza,

the Asian market in Ellicott City, yesterday, I saw 2 lb. bags of both

mung bean and soy sprouts & seriously considered buying one of them

to use as the base of my nutmeat burritos. An equivalent amount (85 g)

of soy sprouts was quoted as having 11 g protein, compared to 3 g

protein in mung bean sprouts. I know too much protein of any kind is

carcinogenic, plus our bodies must work harder to digest it than sugar,

so I decided against buying either, since I don't have any nutmeat

ready-made at home & don't need them anyhow. I can sprout my own

seeds at home, even if I lack soybeans. Do you know anything about the

possible hazards of soy sprouts, especially when conventionally grown

as in an Asian market, in light of the article's content?

 

Namaste,

David

 

The animals of the world exist for their own reasons. They were

not made for humans any more than blacks were made for whites or women

for men."

--Alice Walker, Forward to "The Dreaded Comparison"

by Marjorie Spiegel

 

"Patriotism means to stand by the country. It does not mean to stand by

the president or any other public official save exactly to the degree

in which he himself stands by the country. It is patriotic to support

him insofar as he efficiently serves the country. It is unpatriotic not

to oppose him to the exact extent that by inefficiency or otherwise he

fails in his duty to stand by the country."

--Pres. Theodore Roosevelt, 1908

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Look What The New Netscape.com Can Do!

Now you can preview dozens of stories and have the ones you select

delivered to you without ever leaving the Top Home Page. And the new

Tool Box gives you one click access to local Movie times, Maps, White

Pages and more. Click to test drive.

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 10/31/2005 5:30:52 AM Eastern Standard Time, Namaska7 writes:

 

Dear James,

I too have read reports about soy. However, at a Live Food Program in CA that I attended with Nomi Shannon, the daughter of Dr. Max Gerson of the Gerson Institute advised the audience that there is no room for soy in a healing diet. (the Gerson's are known for healing folks of cancer at their facility). Most people in the audience were shocked and wanted to discuss it. However, she was very firm and stated soy is not a good food for us.

I occasionally sprout soy seeds. However my feeling is that most soy is processed. That is a big issue alone for anyone on live foods.

Years ago I thought soy was excellent for women in menopause.

Lynda

Yoga and Qi gong work wonders for perimenopause and menopause symptoms. Z