FW: Fwd: [OHP] Soy -- Food, wonder drug, or poison? [Long article]

[Guest guest]

Very interesting article. Elite

 

 

 

On Behalf Of Meg

Monday, January 23, 2006 7:54 AM

 

Fwd: [OHP] Soy -- Food, wonder drug, or

poison?

 

take with as many grains of salt (or capers) as you want. yes, I asked for

permission to forward. meg

 

---------- Forwarded message ----------

Christi < ** <** >

Jan 22, 2006 8:17 PM

[OHP] Soy -- Food, wonder drug, or poison?

 

Soy -- Food, wonder drug, or poison? By John McDougall, MD

 

Soy-food consuming populations of people, like the Chinese and Japanese,

have a much lower incidence of heart disease, osteoporosis, and cancer of

the breast and prostate. From this observation, many researchers have come

to the conclusion that ingredients in the soybean have anticancer,

antihypertensive, and anti-cholesterol benefits, and also act as a natural

alternative to hormone replacement therapy. Soy foods have become synonymous

with health food and vegetarianism. Their popularity is tied to the belief

that soy has " wonder-drug " benefits - so powerful that many people suppose

they can safely eat their bacon and eggs for breakfast as long as they

finish off their morning meal with a cup of soy yogurt.

 

However, there is a dark side to the soy story that warns that these foods

may increase your risk for cancer, impair your thyroid, immune, and brain

function, and cause you bone loss and reproductive problems. Fortunately,

these worries are relevant mostly for people lured into consuming " fake

foods " synthesized from man-made components of soy and other foods, and high

potency soy supplements - not for those who consume traditional soy foods as

a small portion of their diet.

 

Soy´s Effects Are Usually Inconsequential

 

In Asian countries, soy is consumed as boiled soybeans (edamame), tofu

(soybean curd), natto (fermented soybeans), miso (fermented soybean paste),

okara (a by-product of tofu), soybean sprouts, soymilk, yuba (by-product of

soy milk), kinako (soy flour), and soy sauce. These foods are made from

simple processes like grinding, precipitation, and fermentation - thus, most

of soy´s ingredients remain little altered.

 

Less than 5% of daily calories in the typical diet of Japanese or Chinese

people comes from soybeans.1 This amounts to about 2 ounces

(55 to 64 grams) derived from soy foods daily, which means only 7 to 8 grams

of protein and 15 to 45 milligrams of the estrogen-like phytochemical known

as isoflavone. How could this tiny amount of soy food make a measurable

difference - positive or negative - to the health of Asians? The primary

reason these people are so hardy is that the Asian diet is based on a

starch - rice - with generous amounts of vegetables and fruits. Starches are

ideal foods for human nutrition and have many desirable nutritional

qualities - they are low in fat, moderate in protein, high in carbohydrates,

and contain no cholesterol.

 

The Asian diet also contains few animal products. Any unique pharmacologic

benefits from eating soy are unnoticeable compared to the impact of these

people´s overall diet. (For a discussion of the benefits of starches, see my

April 2004 newsletter article: People - Not Their Words - Tell " The

Carbohydrate Story. " )

 

Soy - Detrimental or Beneficial

 

The truth behind soy is clouded by emotional reactions from the anti-soy

movement of hard-core meat-eaters and soy-loving vegetarians - and as usual,

money from big businesses, the soy manufacturers. Most of the rhetoric on

both sides of the argument is of no real importance - the real issue is

whether you are consuming small amounts traditional soy foods or making

yourself a diet of synthetic foods.

 

The Seven Main Arguments:

 

Argument 1: Anti-nutrients

Detrimental: Soy contains " anti-nutrients, " which interfere with the

digestion of proteins (trypsin inhibitors) and the absorption of minerals

(phytic acid).

 

Beneficial: These " anti-nutrient " substances are deactivated by cooking and

fermentation. Cooking before consumption is not unique to soybeans - no

other beans, peas, or lentils are eaten " raw. " Although adverse effects on

experimental animals have been demonstrated, there is no direct evidence as

to the physiological effects of the trypsin inhibitors on humans.2

Interestingly, Phytic acid has anticancer effects in animal models for both

colon and breast cancer.3

 

Argument 2: Cancer

Detrimental: Soy has estrogen-like activity that may promote the growth of

estrogen-sensitive cancers (breast and prostate), especially for those

people who already have cancer.4-5

 

Beneficial: Breast and prostate cancer rates are four to six times lower in

Japan and China than Western countries. In laboratory studies, isoflavone

from soy can inhibit the growth of breast cancer and prostate cancer

tissues.6

 

Argument 3: Heart Disease

Detrimental: Benefits on heart disease are largely unproven and are really

due to the low-fat, low-cholesterol qualities of the Asian diet.

 

Beneficial: People living in countries with more soy in their diet, for

example Japan, have a much lower risk of heart attacks. Experimental

research consistently shows soy foods cause a decrease in total and " bad "

LDL cholesterol, and an increase in " good " HDL-cholesterol.7-8 Products

containing at least 6.25 grams of soy protein per serving are now allowed to

carry a FDAapproved claim on their label; stating a lowfat, low-cholesterol

diet containing at least

25 grams (about one ounce) of soy protein a day may reduce one´s risk of

heart disease.

 

Argument 4: Sex Hormones

Detrimental: Twelve ounces of soy milk drunk three times a day for one month

will decrease a woman´s estradiol and progesterone levels, and her menstrual

cycle length will be increased by about four days.9 These effects may cause

infertility and contribute to bone loss.

 

Beneficial: Chinese and Japanese are among the most prolific baby-makers in

the world. Phytoestrogens have both a weak estrogen-stimulating (estrogenic)

and paradoxically, an estrogen-inhibiting (anti-estrogenic) activity. The

estrogen-like activities may strengthen bones and prevent menopausal

symptoms like hot flashes. Hot flashes are reported by 70% to 80% of US

menopausal women compared to 10 to 14% of women in Japan and Singapore.10

The antiestrogen activity reduces the risk of breast and uterine cancer.

 

Argument 5: Thyroid

Detrimental: Goiter and hypothyroidism have been reported in infants

receiving soy formula. Autoimmune diseases of the thyroid and thyroid cancer

may also be caused by exposure to soy. 11-12

 

Beneficial: The addition of adequate iodine to the diet reverses any

goiter-causing effects of soy. Population studies suggest soy protects

against thyroid cancer.13 Argument 6: Immune System Detrimental: In

experimental studies, soy isoflavone suppresses the immune system, and

reduces the size of the thymus gland. There are reports of a decrease in

antibodies, white blood cells, and other indications of immune system

malfunction with soy consumption.14-19 Beneficial: Soy isoflavone enhances

the immune response and provides a possible explanation for lower incidence

of certain cancers in soy-eating parts of the world.20,21 The pain of

arthritis has been helped by soy through modulating the immune system.22

 

Argument 7: Brain Health

Detrimental: A recent study of middle-aged Japanese- Americans living in

Hawaii found adults consuming tofu had reduced brain function, accelerated

brain aging and some structural changes in their brains that might be

related to Alzheimer´s disease.23

 

Beneficial: Alzheimer´s disease and other forms of dementia are less common

in Asian compared to Western populations.24 Recent studies have actually

shown improvement in brain functions with the use of soy supplements.25,26

 

In summary, population studies fail to support real-life soy-caused

diseases, experimental data is inconsistent, and the larger components of

the diet (starches, vegetables, and fruits) are most likely the reason for

the superior health of soy consuming peoples. The Whole Is Healthier Than

the Parts Over the past two decades there has been an explosion on the

supermarket shelves of soy products that resemble our favorite meat and

dairy products. I often refer to these as " fake foods. " Manufacturing

processes remove the dietary fibers, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins,

minerals, and hundreds of other helpful plant chemicals - leaving behind

almost pure soy protein. These protein concentrates are mixed with extracts

of wheat protein, vegetable oils, and sometimes, starch, sugar, salt,

artificial sweeteners, and dairy and egg proteins - then the magic of modern

technology turns these mixtures into products that look and taste like real

cheese, hot dogs, sausages, burgers, luncheon meats, chicken, and turkey.

Soy protein is used to replace dairy protein in candy bars, yogurt, ice

cream, breads, pastries and cookies. You can identify the synthesized

concentrated proteins on the ingredient list of your foods by these words:

defatted soy flour, organic textured soy flour, textured vegetable protein,

isolated soy protein, soy protein concentrates, and soy concentrates. These

new " foods " in no way resemble nature´s creations and the effects on your

health make that clear.

 

Calcium Loss and Cancer Growth from Protein Concentrates

Concentrated dairy (cow-milk) protein, when consumed by people, causes large

and important loses of calcium contributing to osteoporosis and kidney

stones. You would hope that replacement with soy protein concentrates would

eliminate this health hazard. Unfortunately, recent research on people has

demonstrated that the addition of 40 grams of concentrated soy protein to a

diet, already low in protein (40 to 50 grams daily) and high in calcium

(1100 mg daily), causes significant net losses of calcium from the body. 27

Other research shows isolated soy protein is just as damaging as meat

protein to the bones.28

 

Another recent study showed how 40 grams of soy or cow-milk protein

concentrate added to the diet significantly increases levels of a powerful

cancer-promoting growth hormone, called Insulin-like Growth Factor 1 -

IGF-1.29 However, soy protein was almost twice as powerful as the milk

protein concentrate - doubling the levels of IGF-1 with 40 grams of soy

protein isolate. This growth promoter has been strongly linked to the

development of cancer of the breast, prostate, lung, and colon.30 Excess

IGF-1 stimulates cell proliferation and inhibits cell death - two activities

you definitely don't want when cancer cells are involved. 30

 

What does 40 grams of isolated soy protein mean to you? In real life, a

person seeking excellent health by following a low-protein version of the

McDougall diet with 1100 mg of calcium (which would have to be added with a

calcium supplement) becomes at risk for osteoporosis, kidney stones, and

cancer with the daily addition of a soy " candy bar " and a soy shake. One soy

" chicken " patty for lunch and 2 soy burgers for dinner will also add that 40

grams of isolated protein daily - and so will just four soy breakfast

patties. Now soy has real meaning in your life.

 

The effects of adding soy protein concentrates on people already consuming

the bone-losing, high-animalprotein Western diet (100 to 160 grams of

protein daily), or worse yet, the Atkins diet (up to 300 grams daily) have

yet to be determined.31 Because of the very low incidence of osteoporosis,

and breast and prostate cancer, among people who consume traditional soybean

foods, there is every reason to believe that only the synthetic soy foods

need to be of concern. (Studies have yet to be done to specifically test the

effects of traditional foods in laboratory settings - in the meantime, we

will keep these as a small part of our diet.)

 

Pharmaceutical-grade Soy Hormones

Phytochemicals found in plants are important ingredients for radiant health,

but must be consumed in their natural packages - like the traditional soy

foods - to reap the most benefits with the least risks. After isolation from

their natural environment - the soybean - these chemicals unquestionably

become pharmaceuticals. Manufacturing processes concentrate the

pharmacologic ingredients of soy into powerful drugs sold to women to treat

menopausal symptoms and osteoporosis. Unfortunately, drugs have side

effects. A concentrated preparations of isoflavone, sold as Novasoy®, and

mixtures of the active chemicals (isoflavone and/or genistin), have been

shown to be strong promoters of breast cancer growth in animals.33 Long-term

treatment (up to 5 years) with soy isoflavone preparations was associated

with an increased occurrence of endometrial hyperplasia in women - a

precancerous condition of the female uterus.34

 

Soy Infant Formula

Soy baby formula is synthesized from pure sugar

(corn syrup), oil (safflower), and protein (soy protein isolate) - this is

the epitome of " fake food " - especially when considering the potential

consequences. Approximately 1.4 million (36%) infants per year in the United

States receive soy formula. Because 100% of the dietary protein and

isoflavone that the baby gets is from soy, the chemical compounds reach

levels many times higher than the levels found in adults who consume soy

foods - and even exceed concentrations shown to be toxic in laboratory

experiments. For example, daily exposure to estrogen-like compounds from soy

formula results in levels 6 to 11 times higher in infants than the level

that will cause changes in the menstrual cycle of women.35-36

 

The reason so little is known about the harmful effects of feeding soy

formula to babies is that these effects in real life situations have not

been adequately studied. However, some indication of the sensitivity of a

baby to soy´s estrogen-like effects might be learned from a recent study

finding birth defects of the genitalia of male infants (hypospadia) born to

mothers who consumed large amounts of soy products.37

 

Reserve Traditional Soy foods for Special

Despite concerns, there is no definite evidence that traditional soy foods

are harmful at levels customarily consumed. Consider the hundreds of

millions of people living in Japan, consuming soy products throughout their

life - and they enjoy the longest life expectancy in the world (Japanese

women are expected to live 84.93 years, compared to US women to 79.5 years;

and Japanese men to 78.07 years, compared to 74.1 years for US men).

 

However, soybeans and their by-products should be thought of as rich foods -

naturally high in fat and protein. In their traditional forms consider them

as delicacies - and you should consume them as you might other plant food

delicacies - nuts, seeds, avocados, and olives - in small amounts on special

occasions.

 

References:

1) Nagata C, Takatsuka N, Kurisu Y, Shimizu H. Decreased serum total

cholesterol concentration is associated

with high intake of soy products in Japanese men and women. J Nutr. 1998

Feb;128(2):209- 13.

2) http://www.fao.org/docrep/t0532e/t0532e01.htm

3) Vucenik I, Shamsuddin AM. Cancer inhibition by inositol hexaphosphate

(IP6) and inositol: from laboratory to

clinic. J Nutr. 2003 Nov;133(11 Suppl 1):3778S-3784S.

4) Newbold R. Uterine adenocarcinoma in mice treated neonatally with

genistein. Cancer Res. 2001 Jun 1;61(11):4325-8.

5) Cassileth BR, Vickers AJ. Soy: an anticancer agent in wide use despite

some troubling data. Cancer Invest. 2003;21(5):817-8.

6) Adlercreutz H. Phyto-oestrogens and cancer. Lancet Oncol. 2002

Jun;3(6):364-73.

7) Jenkins D. Effects of high- and low-isoflavone soyfoods on blood lipids,

oxidized LDL, homocysteine,

and blood pressure in hyperlipidemic men and women. Am J Clin Nutr.

2002 Aug;76(2):365-72.

8) Anderson JW, Johnstone BM, Cook-Newell ME Meta-analysis of the effects of

soy protein intake on

serum lipids. N Engl J Med. 1995 Aug 3;333(5):276-82.

9) Lu L. Effects of soya consumption for one month on steroid hormones in

premenopausal women:

implications for breast cancer risk reduction. Cancer Epidemiol

Biomarkers Prev. 1996 Jan;5(1):63- 70.

10) Glazier M. A review of the evidence for the use of phytoestrogens as a

replacement for traditional estrogen replacement therapy. Arch Intern Med.

2001 May 14;161(9):1161-72.

11) Divi R. Anti-thyroid isoflavones from soybean: isolation,

characterization, and mechanisms of action. Biochem Pharmacol.

1997 Nov 15;54(10):1087-96.

12) Doerge DR, Sheehan DM. Goitrogenic and estrogenic activity of soy

isoflavones. Environ Health Perspect. 2002 Jun;110 Suppl

3:349-53.

13) Horn-Ross PL, Hoggatt KJ, Lee MM. Phytoestrogens and thyroid cancer

risk: the San Francisco Bay Area thyroid cancer study. Cancer Epidemiol

Biomarkers Prev. 2002 Jan;11(1):43-9.

14) Yellayi S. The phytoestrogen genistein induces thymic and immune

changes: a human health concern? Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2002 May

28;99(11):7616-21.

15) Zoppi G. Immunocompetence and dietary protein intake in early infancy. J

Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr. 1982;1(2):175-82.

16) Zoppi G. Gammaglobulin level and soy-protein intake in early infancy.

Eur J Pediatr. 1979 Apr 25;131(1):61-9.

17) Zoppi G. Diet and antibody response to vaccinations in healthy infants.

Lancet. 1983 Jul 2;2(8340):11-4.

18) Fort P. and soy-formula feedings in early infancy and the prevalence of

autoimmune thyroid disease in children. J Am Coll Nutr. 1990 Apr;9(2):164-7.

19) Alexandersen P. Ipriflavone in the treatment of postmenopausal

osteoporosis: a randomized controlled trial. JAMA. 2001 Mar

21;285(11):1482-8.

20) Watanabe S, Uesugi S, Kikuchi Y. soflavones for prevention of cancer,

cardiovascular diseases, gynecological problems and possible immune

potentiation. Biomed Pharmacother. 2002 Aug;56(6):302-12.

21) Jenkins DJ, Kendall CW, Connelly PW, Jackson CJ, Parker T, Faulkner D,

Vidgen E. Effects of high- and low-isoflavone

(phytoestrogen) soy foods on inflammatory biomarkers and proinflammatory

cytokines in middle-aged men and women. Metabolism. 2002 Jul;51(7):919-24.

22) Arjmandi BH, Khalil DA, Lucas EA, Smith BJ, Sinichi N, Hodges SB, Juma

S, Munson ME, Payton ME, Tivis RD, Svanborg A. Soy protein may alleviate

osteoarthritis symptoms. Phytomedicine.

2004 Nov;11(7-8):567-75.

23) White LR, Petrovitch H, Ross GW, Masaki K, Hardman J, Nelson J, Davis D,

Markesbery W. Brain aging and midlife tofu consumption. J Am Coll Nutr. 2000

Apr;19(2):242-55.

24) Jorm AF, Jolley D. The incidence of dementia: a meta-analysis.

Neurology. 1998 Sep;51(3):728-33.

25) Kritz-Silverstein D, Von Muhlen D, Barrett-Connor E, Bressel MA.

Isoflavones and cognitive function in older women: the SOy and

Postmenopausal Health In Aging (SOPHIA) Study. Menopause. 2003

May-Jun;10(3):196-202.

26) File SE, Hartley DE, Elsabagh S, Duffy R, Wiseman H. Cognitive

improvement after 6 weeks of soy supplements in postmenopausal women is

limited to frontal lobe function. Menopause.

2005;12(2):193-201.

27) Spence LA, Lipscomb ER, Cadogan J, Martin B, Wastney ME, Peacock M,

Weaver CM. The effect of soy protein and soy isoflavones on calcium

metabolism in postmenopausal women: a randomized crossover study. Am J Clin

Nutr. 2005 Apr;81(4):916-22.

28) Roughead ZK, Hunt JR, Johnson LK, Badger TM, Lykken GI. Controlled

substitution of soy protein for meat protein: effects on calcium retention,

bone, and cardiovascular health indices in postmenopausal women. J Clin

Endocrinol Metab. 2005 Jan;90(1):181-9. Epub 2004 Oct 13.

29) Arjmandi BH, Khalil DA, Smith BJ, Lucas EA, Juma S, Payton ME, Wild RA.

Soy protein has a greater effect on bone in postmenopausal women not on

hormone replacement therapy, as evidenced by reducing bone resorption and

urinary calcium excretion. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2003 Mar;88(3):1048-54.

30) Yu H. Role of the insulin-like growth factor family in cancer

development and progression. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2000 Sep

20;92(18):1472-89.

31) Reddy ST. Effect of low-carbohydrate high-protein diets on acid-base

balance, stone-forming propensity, and calcium metabolism. Am J Kidney Dis.

2002 Aug;40(2):265-74.

32) Jenkins DJ, Kendall CW, Vidgen E, Augustin LS, Parker T, Faulkner D,

Vieth R, Vandenbroucke AC, Josse RG. Effect of high vegetable protein diets

on urinary calcium loss in middle-aged men and women. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2003

Feb;57(2):376-82.

33) Allred CD, Allred KF, Ju YH, Goeppinger TS, Doerge DR, Helferich WG. Soy

processing influences growth of estrogen- dependent breast cancer tumors.

Carcinogenesis. 2004 Sep;25(9):1649-57.

34) Unfer V, Casini ML, Costabile L, Mignosa M, Gerli S, Di Renzo GC.

Endometrial effects of long-term treatment with phytoestrogens: a

randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Fertil Steril. 2004

Jul;82(1):145-8,

35) Setchell K. Exposure of infants to phyto-oestrogens from soy-based

infant formula. Lancet. 1997 Jul 5;350(9070):23-7.

36) Chen A, Rogan WJ. Isoflavones in soy infant formula: a review of

evidence for endocrine and other activity in infants. Annu Rev Nutr.

2004;24:33-54.

37) North K. A maternal vegetarian diet in pregnancy is associated with

hypospadias. The ALSPAC Study Team. Avon Longitudinal Study of Pregnancy and

Childhood. BJU Int. 2000 Jan;85(1):107-13.

 

 

http://www.earthsave.org/newsletters/ES05spring.pdf

 

Christi Once Upon a Family, Independent Consultant Live well, Laugh often,

Love much. www.alovinglegacy.com <http://www.alovinglegacy.com>

 

www.orlandohealthyparenting.com <http://www.orlandohealthyparenting.com>

Remember that there are people with thoughts and feelings at the other end

of the modem. Re-read before you hit send.

 

 

Visit your group " Orlando-Healthy-Parenting " on the web.