Health Warning: The risks of soya

[Tarka the Duck]

I have been reading up about soya, and its extensive use by the food industry.

And I am horrified! We were vegetarian for 30 years, and often used soya-based meat substitutes, believing them to be a simple, low fat, high protein food source: stupidly, I never looked any deeper into this, but went along with the advertising hype.

You may well all be way ahead of me – which is highly likely – but I still thought it was important to flag this up in case anyone out there is still blissfully ignorant of the damage it is doing to our health (and the environment).

There is a mass of evidence out there: I did a quick search and as far back as 2004 and 2006 respectively, The Guardian newspaper here in the UK had headlines reading:

They hailed it as a wonderfood.
Soya not only destroys forests and small farmers - it can also be bad for your health

Should we worry about soya in our food?
Whether you know it or not, you'll probably be eating soya today. It's in 60% of all processed food, from cheese to ice cream, baby formula to biscuits. But should it carry a health warning?

It is marketed as low fat, low carb, high protein food with benefits in the fields of cancer, heart disease and osteoporosis, among others.

More important to the food industry, it is incredibly cheap and easy to produce, and versatile in its uses.

I have tried to summarise below the risks I have read about that are associated with soya consumption. I am by no means an expert, but I trust the author of this particular report (Barry Groves) – his work appears to be impeccably researched, and he always references his sources.

Native to southeast Asia, the Chinese did not consume soya beans as they knew they contain large quantities of natural toxins including:
protease inhibitors (these block enzymes for the digestion of protein)
phytic acid (inhibits the absorption of minerals)
phytoestrogens and isoflavins (which mimic the female sex hormone)
goitrogens (which inhibit thyroid activity)

The effects these toxins may be having on us makes sobering reading. They are linked to many disease, including an interference in the sexual development of both boys and girls, weight gain/loss through thyroid disfunction, learning disabilities particularly in male children, and diseases associated with mineral deficiencies (magnesium, zinc, calcium and iron).

Apparently, the processors of soya-based food products are trying to remove these anti-nutrients from their produce, but this is not 100% successful – and the high temperatures that they use in order to do this also destroys many of the beneficial proteins too.

So basically, the best thing to do is to avoid any foods that contain non-fermented soya!

NB in its fermented form (miso, soy sauce, natto and tempeh) it is safe to eat.

[RMorgan]

Well, I´m also a vegetarian and I eat soy.

Regarding the environmental problems of planting soy, I must say that 70% of the planted soy are destined to feed livestock, not humans. So this problem is much more connect with meat consumption than soy consumption itself.

About the health problems regarding soy, I´m not sure if they are real or fabricated. You can´t be sure of it until you know for sure who payed for this research. There is an increasing number of persons engaging a vegetarian diet, which naturally includes soy as a protein substitute.

Naturally, it is starting to bother livestock producers, so, if I were to make prediction, I would say that we´ll see lots of similar researches pointing soy as a villain in the future.

The fact is, that we need protein, but often we ingest much more protein that we actually need. Ingesting small amounts of soy protein daily wont damage your health at all.

Besides, if we put in a balance, with all pros and cons, which source of protein is better for our health and for the environment, soy or meat? I´m sure it´s soy.

[Eagle]

Stick with Carrots and peas, the real food odf the Gods!

[DevilPigeon]

-----

I've also seen articles alerting to the negative health effects of eating soy products... As Tarka says at the end though, unfermented stuff like miso & soy sauce are OK. (does anyone actually like miso soup though...???)

The article I'm thinking of specifically is by a guy called Mike Geary, he also mentions the negative effects of licorice (apparently high in aestrogen), as well as the usual suspects - high wheat diet, MSG, HFCS, hydrogenated fats, rapeseed oil etc

[Tarka the Duck]

Hello RM

As I said, I don't pretend to be an expert...and as you say, who funds the research is vitally important.

As soya is used by all the big players in the food industry, and is an ingredient in a massive number of processed foodstuffs these days, I have chosen to believe that the pro-soya campaign is funded by those big corporations. I don't know who funds the research into its harmful effects: I am not so naïve as to think there may possibly be an equally powerful force behind that too!

I have references a lot of the (worldwide) research that has been carried out to investigate the effect of the toxins that occur naturally in the soya bean, and should you be interested in looking into it further, I could provide these.

We all make our own choices...in this, I choose to err on the safe side – I can live without soya, and I am definitely going to read every single label even more carefully from now on!

[Tony]

When one gets to a certain age, one's diet is very important. When you are young the body seems to be able to deal with anything.....then you pay for it!!!!!! The food and pharmaceutical industries know exactly what they are doing. 'Healthy' eating, a new age phenomena, is killing people. Cut the carbohydrates, eat more fat. I speak as a life time ex-vegetarian.

Your diet has been orchestrated for you, on an industrial level. The food companies make you ill, the pharmaceuticals kill you off.....and you pay for it!

Tony

[DevilPigeon]

When one gets to a certain age, one's diet is very important. When you are young the body seems to be able to deal with anything.....then you pay for it!!!!!! The food and pharmaceutical industries know exactly what they are doing. 'Healthy' eating, a new age phenomena, is killing people. Cut the carbohydrates, eat more fat. I speak as a life time ex-vegetarian.

Your diet has been orchestrated for you, on an industrial level. The food companies make you ill, the pharmaceuticals kill you off.....and you pay for it!

Tony

Totally agree.... And it's generally the "healthy" choices that are the worst - "diet" this and that, "low fat" alternative, "healthy" option - full of sugar to compensate for the reduced fat, artificial sweeteners... And beware also of "new improved" ingredients that claim to be healthy, I'm very sceptical of those... An example being "sunseed" oil, used by Walkers...

[blufire]

The only soya and/or soy beans you should be concerned about is Genetically Mutated (modified) soy beans (GMO) . . . . . . which since 95% of soy beans produced globally is GMO then yes consuming soya is most definitely a hazard to your health.

And no RMorgan the livestock producers are not worried that vegan/vegetarians are going to eat up all the soy beans. Look on the ingredient list of any processed food and you will find some soy bean product or by-product . . . . it is even in many ice creams. "They" do not want to vilify soy products because they are making billions.

The protein and amino acids ingested from gmo soy beans and corn is viewed as a foreign substance in our bodies and we cannot digest it properly. Amino acids and proteins are the building blocks of our cellular structure and therefore we do not have the proper food nutrients to maintain healthy body systems.

And oh by the way . . . . our bodies need to produce 22 amino acids of which 8 of those amino acids can only be manufactured in our bodies with proteins found only in red meat.

[RMorgan]

The only soya and/or soy beans you should be concerned about is Genetically Mutated (modified) soy beans (GMO) . . . . . . which since 95% of soy beans produced globally is GMO then yes consuming soya is most definitely a hazard to your health.

And no RMorgan the livestock producers are not worried that vegan/vegetarians are going to eat up all the soy beans. Look on the ingredient list of any processed food and you will find some soy bean product or by-product . . . . it is even in many ice creams. "They" do not want to vilify soy products because they are making billions.

The protein and amino acids ingested from gmo soy beans and corn is viewed as a foreign substance in our bodies and we cannot digest it properly. Amino acids and proteins are the building blocks of our cellular structure and therefore we do not have the proper food nutrients to maintain healthy body systems.

And oh by the way . . . . our bodies need to produce 22 amino acids of which 8 of those amino acids can only be manufactured in our bodies with proteins found only in red meat.

"And no RMorgan the livestock producers are not worried that vegan/vegetarians are going to eat up all the soy beans."

I was not talking about that, of course. I was saying that livestock producers are losing market for vegetarians, and are starting to worry about it. They are worried because people stopping eating meat is bad for their business.

But basically, you´re saying that being vegetarian isn´t healthy? If so, you´re really mistaken. There are entire societies that are vegetarians and are pretty healthy. There are thousands of books, videos and scientific articles that support a vegetarian diet.

"And oh by the way . . . . our bodies need to produce 22 amino acids of which 8 of those amino acids can only be manufactured in our bodies with proteins found only in red meat."

You´re wrong. You can find them on several food sources. Most part of amino-acids can be produced by our bodies, except for 8, which are called essential. An essential amino acid is a building block of protein molecules that our bodies cannot produce and need to get from a food source. They are essential because we can not synthesize them from other amino acids or smaller building blocks. Ultimately they are needed to make proteins which build tissues in our bodies. You find the essential amino-acids on several food sources, not only meet (fish - meat - poultry - cottage cheese - peanuts - lentils - etc...) and you can find the most unessential amino acids on other several types of food.

Here´s a table of the amino acids, for you to take a look:

http://www.vaughns-1-pagers.com/food/amino-acids-summary.htm

What you´re saying is a classic mainstream medical community propaganda. During all these years being a vegetarian, I´ve learned that if you need to go to a Nutritionist doctor, you have to go to one who is a specialist in vegetarian diets, because 99% of them don´t know sh*t about how to manage a vegetarian diet. Most of them just keep repeating things similar to what you´ve said without ever investing a single minute of their career to do a real research about the subject.

There are countless very successful vegetarian athletes, including body builders and boxers. I guess all of them are ok with their proteins.

However, I´m not saying that eating meat is bad for your health. It all depends of where your meat comes from. If it´s organic, without antibiotics and hormones, it´s basically fine, if you have a well balanced diet.

The same goes for a vegetarian diet. It´s only beneficial if you eat organics, otherwise, one would be ingesting a lot of agro-toxins and GMO products.

Cheers,

Raf.

[WhiteFeather]

Oboya, on Soya , thanks for this thread. Have a look at this.

http://todayyesterdayandtomorrow.wordpress.com/2007/06/17/monsantos-pesticide-soybean-variety-being-used-widely-in-2007-as-a-trans-fat-solution-to-the-food-industry-vistive/

And This!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cYO2k_o16E0

[Tarka the Duck]

When one gets to a certain age, one's diet is very important. When you are young the body seems to be able to deal with anything.....then you pay for it!!!!!! The food and pharmaceutical industries know exactly what they are doing. 'Healthy' eating, a new age phenomena, is killing people. Cut the carbohydrates, eat more fat. I speak as a life time ex-vegetarian.

Your diet has been orchestrated for you, on an industrial level. The food companies make you ill, the pharmaceuticals kill you off.....and you pay for it!

Tony

Totally agree.... And it's generally the "healthy" choices that are the worst - "diet" this and that, "low fat" alternative, "healthy" option - full of sugar to compensate for the reduced fat, artificial sweeteners... And beware also of "new improved" ingredients that claim to be healthy, I'm very sceptical of those... An example being "sunseed" oil, used by Walkers...

You'd love Barry Groves! Have a look at his book Trick and Treat (how the 'health food' industry tricks us and then the pharmaceutical industry steps in to treat us).

[Tony]

Check out some facts, not opinions.


There is an increasing trend of putting soya in everything from bread and breakfast cereals to ice-cream and, of course, low-carb 'diet' products. High in protein, and very abundant and cheap, it looks like a good food to include in other foods. But, while fermented soya is okay, unfermented soya is not. And it is the unfermented soya that is used in these products today. Put bluntly, soya protein powders, soya flour, soya oil and soya milk, and foods containing them, should carry a health warning as cigarettes do. Here's why:

1. Soya prevents weight loss.

Most people go on any diet to lose weight. But soya powerfully suppresses the thyroid and lowers metabolic rate. (1) The thyroid gland produces hormones that have a profound effect on our bodies' metabolism ? the rate at which our bodies use energy. This in turn has implications for the cause and treatment of obesity. It also affects such seemingly unrelated things as blood cholesterol levels. Twenty-five grams of soya protein isolate contains 50 - 70 mg of isoflavones. Yet it took only 45 mg of isoflavones in premenopausal women to exert significant biological effects, including a reduction in hormones needed for adequate thyroid function. These effects continued for three months after they stopped eating the soya. (2) A lower metabolic rate makes weight gain more likely and weight loss more difficult. Thus soya is the last thing anyone who is concerned about their weight should eat.

2. Soya inhibits protein absorption.

Soya contains protease inhibitors that block the action of trypsin and other enzymes needed for protein digestion. These produce serious gastric distress and reduce protein digestion to cause chronic deficiencies in amino acid uptake. In test animals, diets high in trypsin inhibitors cause enlargement and pathological conditions of the pancreas, including cancer. (3)

3. Soya upsets hormones.

Soya also decreases female reproductive hormones: oestrone, LS and FSH. (4) And causes menstrual disturbances in premenopausal women.(5) In 1992 the Swiss health service estimated that 100 grams of soya protein provided the oestrogenic equivalent of the Pill.(6) And with that in mind, what of its effects on children and men?

4. Soya harms children.

Isoflavones in infancy are probably the greatest cause for concern as they are likely to affect the way a child develops. Soya consumption has been linked to numerous disorders, including infertility, increased cancer and infantile leukaemia, and studies dating back to the 1950s showed that genistein in soya caused disrupted hormone production in animals. (7) Laboratory studies also suggest that isoflavones inhibit synthesis of oestradiol and other steroid hormones. Several species of animals including mice, cheetah, quail, pigs, rats, sturgeon and sheep displayed reproductive problems, infertility, thyroid disease and liver disease due to dietary isoflavones. In 1998, investigators reported that circulating concentrations of isoflavones in infants fed soya-based baby formula were 13,000 to 22,000 times higher than plasma oestradiol concentrations in infants fed baby formula made with cow's milk. (8) Infants fed soya milk or other soya products may develop hormone abnormalities such as delayed genital formation in boys and early menstruation in girls. (8). An infant exclusively fed on soya formula receives the oestrogenic equivalent (based on body weight) of at least five birth control pills per day. (9) By contrast, almost no phytoestrogens have been detected in dairy-based infant formula or in human milk.

5. Soya increases cancer risk.

Soya increases the growth rate of breast cancer cells.(10) Soya increases progesterone activity and more breast cell growth in menstruating women. (11). And some researchers believe the rapid increase in liver and pancreatic cancer in Africa is due to the introduction of soya products there.(12)

6. Soya ulcerates the gut.

Pigs in the USA fed soya in their diets were found to have hopelessly ulcerated intestines. Advice from the US soya industry's website advised farmers to strictly limit soya fed to pigs (13) Although no human trials have been done for ethical reasons, there is no reason to suppose the same will not happen in humans.

7. Soya increases risk of deficiency diseases.

Lastly, soya beans have one of the highest phytic acid levels of any grain or legume that has been studied.(14) This is important because phytic acid binds with minerals to form phytates that are not absorbed from the intestine. This leads to a wide range of nutritional deficiency diseases. The mineral most affected by soya is zinc. (15) Soya-based infant formula is particularly harmful because zinc is needed for proper development and functioning of the brain and nervous system. It also plays a role in protein synthesis and collagen formation; it is involved in the blood-sugar control mechanism and thus protects against diabetes; it is needed for a healthy reproductive system. Zinc is a key component in numerous vital enzymes and plays a role in the immune system.

The current dramatic increases in obesity, diabetes, cancers, heart disease, etc, are a direct result of policies emanating from the USA. This present wave of low-carb dietary advice and 'low-carb' products, aimed at undoing the previous harm, also comes mainly from the USA. And, as I hope I have shown above, the 'foods' used are just as unhealthy.

What is the point in swapping one disease for another?

There is, however, a much better way. It was pioneered by a Londoner, William Banting, in 1863. Indeed it was this regime that formed the basis for all other present low-carb diets, including Atkins.

Banting's low-carb dietary regime has a century of epidemiological evidence and clinical trials supporting it. It doesn't rely on the unhealthy products that Atkins does, but on natural, real foods. Correctly constituted, it is completely healthy, it works and it's safe.

Why not ditch US pseudo-foods and eat the much more natural and healthy British way? Make no mistake — if you domn't eat real food, the shops will stop selling it. And once it has gone, it will be very difficult to get it back again.
References

1.Ishuzuki Y, et al. The effect on the thyroid gland of soy beans administered experimentally in healthy subjects. Nippon Naihunpi gakkai Zasshi 1991; 67: 622-9.
2. Cassidy A, et al. Biological Effects of a Diet of Soy Protein Rich in Isoflavones on the Menstrual Cycle of Premenopausal Women. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 1994; 60: 333-340.
3. Rackis JJ, et al. The USDA trypsin inhibitor study. I: Background, objectives and procedural details. In Qualification of Plant Foods in Human Nutrition. vol. 35, 1985.
4. Duncan AM, et al. Soy isoflavones exert modest effects in premenopausal women. Journal of Endocrinologic Metabolism 1999; 84: 192-7.
5. Benson JE, et al. Nutritional aspects of amenorrhea in the female athlete. Triad International Journal of Sports Medicine 1996; 134-45.
6. Bulletin de L'Office Fédéral de la Santé Publique, No. 28, 20 July 1992
7. Matrone G, et al. Effect of Genistin on Growth and Development of the Male Mouse. Journal of Nutrition 1956; 235-240
8. Setchell KD, et al. Isoflavone content of infant formulas and the metabolic fate of these early phytoestrogens in early life. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 1998; Supplement: 1453S-1461S
9. Irvine C, et al. The Potential Adverse Effects of Soybean Phytoestrogens in Infant Feeding. NZ Medical Journal 1995; 24: 318
10. Hseih CY, et al. Estrogenic effects of genistein on the growth of estrogen receptor positive human breast cancer (MCF-7) cells in vitro and in vivo. Cancer Research 1998; 58: 3833-8
11. McMichael-Phillips DF, et al. Effects of soy-protein supplementation on epithelial proliferation in the histologically normal human breast. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 1998; 68 (6 Suppl): 1431S-5S
12. Katz SH. Food and Biocultural Evolution: A Model for the Investigation of Modern Nutritional Problems. In Nutritional Anthropology. Alan R. Liss Inc., 1987, p. 50
13. www.centralsoya.com "Soya protein content for animal feed".
14. El Tiney AH. Proximate Composition and Mineral and Phytate Contents of Legumes Grown in Sudan. Journal of Food Composition and Analysis 1989; 2: 6778.
15. A summary of the many effects of phytic acid on zinc absorption can be found in: Leviton, Richard. Tofu, Tempeh, Miso and Other Soyfoods: The 'Food of the Future' — How to Enjoy Its Spectacular Health Benefits. Keats Publishing, Inc., New Canaan, CT, USA, 1982

Last updated 9 May 2004

(This is from the SECOND OPINION web site)

[RMorgan]

Hello Pie´n ´al!

All this studies are very controversy. If you search for "bennefits of soy" you´ll also find many articles and "facts":

Benefits of Soy: Heart Health
The cholesterol lowering effect of soy milk and its role of heart disease was widely recognized in the mid 90s when the results of a meta-analysis of 38 clinical studies were published. The results demonstrated that a diet with significant soy protein reduces Total Cholesterol, LDL cholesterol (the "Bad" cholesterol) and Triglycerides.
The average consumption in these studies was 47 grams per day of soy protein, which is a considerable amount. One way to include this is to try a soy protein beverage or powder that may add 20 grams preserving. Soy protein was effective even in people who were already following the American Heart Association's 30 percent-fat diet. Soy protein appears to lower triglyceride levels while preserving HDL cholesterol.
Researchers Erdman & Potter in 1993 reported in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition a 12 percent drop in cholesterol when 20 to 25 grams of soy protein and fiber were included in the diet. Soy beans contain soluble fiber, which is known to interfere with the absorption and metabolism of cholesterol.
As a result of these findings, in 1999, FDA authorized a health claim about the relationship between soy protein and Coronary Heart Disease (CHD) on labelling of foods containing soy protein.

Benefits of Soy: Healthy Bones
Many soy foods are naturally high in calcium (some fortified with calcium because it is a good source of a particular coagulating agent). In addition, soy also contains magnesium and boron, which are important co-factors of calcium for bone health.
Isoflavones in soy foods may inhibit the breakdown of bones. Daidzein, a type of isoflavone, is actually very similar to the drug ipriflavone, which is used throughout Europe and Asia to treat osteoporosis. One compelling study completed by Erdman in 1993 focused on post-menopausal women who consumed 40 grams of isolated soy protein daily for 6 months. Researchers found that these subjects significantly increased bone mineral density as compared to the controls.
Another study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine in September 2005 also found that intake of soy food was associated with a significantly lower risk of fracture, particularly among early post-menopausal women.

Benefits of Soy: Menopause
In Japan, where soy foods are commonly consumed daily, women are only one-third as likely to report menopausal symptoms as in the United States or Canada. In fact, there is no word in the Japanese language for "hot flashes".
Current studies showed that soy only helps some women alleviate menopausal symptoms. Indeed, soy is more effective in preventing than alleviating hot flashes. Despite these findings, the North American Menopause Society in 2000 recommended that 40 - 80mg of isoflavones daily may help relieve menopausal symptoms.

Benefits of Soy: Cancer
Among all cancers, data on soy and prostate cancer seems to be the most promising; many studies support its role in the prevention and possible treatment of prostate cancer.
While some studies showed soy offers a protective effect against breast cancer, a few studies showed the estrogen-like effects in isoflavones may be harmful for women with breast cancer. American Institute for Cancer Research stresses that data on soy and breast cancer are not conclusive, and more work is needed to be done before any dietary recommendations can be made.
What we know at this point is the phytoestrogens in soy foods are "anti-estrogens". In other words, they may block estrogen from reaching the receptors - therefore potentially protecting women from developing breast cancer. Studies found that pre-menopausal women may benefit from eating soy foods as their natural estrogen levels are high.
However, this may not be true to post-menopausal women. Studies found that soy could become "pro-estrogen" in women with low levels of natural estrogen. In other words, concentrated soy supplements may add estrogen to the body and hence increase breast cancer risk in post-menopausal women. Therefore, post-menopausal women should avoid taking concentrated soy supplements until more is known. Eating soy products, however, is not harmful.

Studies conducted in recent times have unveiled the secret benefits of soy. Amazingly, this particular food ingredient seems to have a healing effect for many body disorders. Soy is considered to be one of nature’s gifts to humanity.
http://www.benefitsofsoy.org/

Cheers,

Raf.

[Tarka the Duck]

Thanks for that RM.
One thing that springs to mind - as soya contains a form of oestrogen that is known to help replace hormone imbalance in menopausal women, wouldn't that have an adverse effect on children and men who are consuming it as a 'hidden' ingredient in everyday food?

[onawah]

There have been TONS of articles on Dr. Mercola's site and Natural News site, and they are well documented, citing many studies by impartial organizations showing that unfermented soy is not healthy and has many dangers. I get the newsletters from both those sites and have read the articles over the years and sent them to friends who eat a lot of soy and have a lot of related health problems.
I think the hardest thing that vegetarians who eat soy find to give up is tofu.
There is an organic, SPROUTED tofu on the market now, made by the Wildwood company that would be a much better option for those people.
Sprouting has a similar effect as fermenting.
The GMO issue is a very important factor. Many vegetarians assume that since soy is what they consider to be a "health food" it wouldn't also be GMO, but nothing could be further from the truth!
Here is a link for a good article from Dr. Mercola's site:
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/12/04/soy-dangers-summarized.aspx

Here are some excerpts:


Soy Dangers Summarized

High levels of phytic acid in soy reduce assimilation of calcium, magnesium, copper, iron and zinc. Phytic acid in soy is not neutralized by ordinary preparation methods such as soaking, sprouting and long, slow cooking, but only with long fermentation. High-phytate diets have caused growth problems in children.
Trypsin inhibitors in soy interfere with protein digestion and may cause pancreatic disorders. In test animals, soy containing trypsin inhibitors caused stunted growth.
Soy phytoestrogens disrupt endocrine function and have the potential to cause infertility and to promote breast cancer in adult women.
Soy phytoestrogens are potent antithyroid agents that cause hypothyroidism and may cause thyroid cancer. In infants, consumption of soy formula has been linked to autoimmune thyroid disease.
Vitamin B12 analogs in soy are not absorbed and actually increase the body's requirement for B12.
Soy foods increase the body's requirement for Vitamin D. Toxic synthetic Vitamin D2 is added to soy milk.
Fragile proteins are over-denatured during high temperature processing to make soy protein isolate and textured vegetable protein.
Processing of soy protein results in the formation of toxic lysinoalanine and highly carcinogenic nitrosamines.
Free glutamic acid or MSG, a potent neurotoxin, is formed during soy food processing and additional amounts are added to many soy foods to mask soy's unpleasant taste.
Soy foods contain high levels of aluminum, which is toxic to the nervous system and the kidneys.



Myths and Truths About Soy

Here we dispel the myths of the "Diet Dictocrats" and reveal the scientific validity behind our wise ancestors' nutrient-dense diets.

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 soybeans 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, soybeans 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 with soy protein 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.

Myth: Soybeans are good for the environment.

Truth: Most soybeans grown in the US are genetically engineered to allow farmers to use large amounts of herbicides.

Myth: Soybeans 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.

Soy Infant Formula: Birth Control Pills for Babies

Babies fed soy-based formula have 13,000 to 22,000 times more estrogen compounds in their blood than babies fed milk-based formula. Infants exclusively fed soy formula receive the estrogenic equivalent of at least four birth control pills per day.

Male infants undergo a testosterone surge during the first few months of life, when testosterone levels may be as high as those of an adult male. During this period, baby boys are programmed to express male characteristics after puberty, not only in the development of their sexual organs and other masculinity traits, but also in setting patterns in the brain characteristic of male behavior.

In animals, studies indicate that phytoestrogens in soy are powerful endocrine disrupters. Soy infant feeding -- which floods the bloodstream with female hormones that inhibit testosterone -- cannot be ignored as a possible cause of disrupted development patterns in boys, including learning disabilities and attention deficit disorder.

Male children exposed to DES, a synthetic estrogen, had testes smaller than normal on maturation and infant marmoset monkeys fed soy isoflavones had a reduction in testosterone levels up to 70 percent compared to milk-fed controls.

Almost 15 percent of white girls and 50 percent of African-Americans girls show signs of puberty, such as breast development and pubic hair, before the age of eight. Some girls are showing sexual development before the age of three. Premature development of girls has been linked to the use of soy formula and exposure to environmental estrogen-mimickers such as PCBs and DDE.

Intake of phytoestrogens even at moderate levels during pregnancy can have adverse affects on the developing fetus and the timing of puberty later in life.

Here's a link from Natural News:
http://naturalhealthnews.blogspot.com/2008/03/be-aware-of-soy-risks.html
Here are some excerpts:

“We have filed this petition because there was never a sound basis for a soy health claim and the heavy marketing of soy as a 'miracle food' has put American men, women and children at risk.” says Kaayla T. Daniel, PhD, author of The Whole Soy Story: The Dark Side of America's Favorite Health Food and lead author of the 65-page petition filed this morning at the FDA offices in Rockville, Maryland. “The heart health claim gave soy a “healthy” image and quickly boosted sales from under one billion per year to more than $4 billion per year.”

The petition was filed by Sally Fallon, president of the Weston A. Price Foundation. In addition to Dr Kilmer S. McCully, winner of the 1998 Linus Pauling Award, author of more than 70 papers in peer reviewed journals and author of two popular books The Homocysteine Revolution and The Heart Revolution, signers included Mary G. Enig, PhD, a world renowned biochemist and nutritionist who exposed the dangers of trans fats in the late 1970s; and Galen D. Knight, PhD, a biochemist who has extensively researched the role of vitalethine in humoral immunity and cancer prevention.
The petition notes that the FDA is mandated by law to retract the soy/heart disease health claim for the following reasons:

o Soy protein isolate and other highly processed modern soy protein products are not safe and have no long history of use in the food supply

o The evidence on soy protein and heart disease is contradictory and inconsistent, and no “standard of scientific agreement” has been met.

o Studies published since 1999 undermine the credibility of -- and conclusions drawn -- from key studies evaluated by the FDA when it approved the health claim in 1999.

o Recent studies show that soy can contribute to or cause heart disease, including endothelial damage (especially in women), heart arrhythmias and cardiomyopathy, an increasingly prevalent condition that affects 1 in 500 Americans.

o The mechanism by which soy might lower cholesterol could cause endocrine disruption, diminished humoral immunity and cancer development.



The FDA announced that will review the evidence on soy protein and heart disease because of mounting doubts and concerns by scientists and government agencies about soy protein. In January 2006, the American Heart Association in its journal Circulation advised health practitioners that soy has little effect on cholesterol and is unlikely to prevent heart disease. In August 2005, the US Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality published a 245-page report stating that nearly all the research carried out on soy is “inconclusive,” that soy products appear to exert “a small benefit on LDL cholesterol and triglycerides” but that those effects are of “small clinical effect in individuals.”

[DevilPigeon]

-----

Plus of course, the soya bean industry is worth $$$billions each year....

I tried soya milk several years back but didn't like it anyway... Plus I found it tended to curdle after being open a few hours, even in the fridge. No loss though :)

[blufire]

Can you say “erectile dysfunction” and “prostate cancer?”

GMO soy beans are the main culprit behind these two insidious diseases.

Erectile dysfunction alone has become a multi billion dollar industry thanks to gmo soy . . . . . .



Thanks for that RM.
One thing that springs to mind - as soya contains a form of oestrogen that is known to help replace hormone imbalance in menopausal women, wouldn't that have an adverse effect on children and men who are consuming it as a 'hidden' ingredient in everyday food?

[DevilPigeon]

-----

This is probably stating the obvious, or even preaching to the choir, but I reckon the vast majority of illnesses & symptoms are caused by deficiencies in the diet or making less than ideal food choices.

I wonder how many cavemen suffered from cancer/erectile dysfunction/lethargy/ADHD/IBS/[insert symptom here].........?

[grapevine]

I always thought that miso soup tasted like warm semen ...... :( make of that what you will (I've just probably halved sales .....)

[grapevine]

APART FROM THAT (the above), yes, I knew about the negative side of soya a long time ago - as far back as Leslie Kenton's raw food diets anyway ......... I guess that anything 'manufacturered' (and what isn't these days?) is going to cause all kinds of side effects. I would direct everyone here to the video Food Inc, if you want to know what is in food and it seems that soya and corn is in EVERYTHING, in addition to multi-chemicals (chemtrails are just the salt on our cocktails people ..... :) No wonder we're all suffering from IBS and acid reflux ....

But what else is there to eat that has not been contaminated?

[RMorgan]

-----

This is probably stating the obvious, or even preaching to the choir, but I reckon the vast majority of illnesses & symptoms are caused by deficiencies in the diet or making less than ideal food choices.

I wonder how many cavemen suffered from cancer/erectile dysfunction/lethargy/ADHD/IBS/[insert symptom here].........?

No. They used to die before the 30s! :)

I agree that GMO soy is a problem, however, I don´t agree that natural, organic soy is a problem. I´ve ready many studies about its benefits, in fact.

I´ve read a book (I don´t remember the name) where they have conducted a study in India. India has the biggest vegetarian population in the world.

In this book, they tell the benefits of soy, including to young children. They couldn´t find any problem related with vitamin B12, lack of protein or problems with brain development there.

In fact, India is one of the biggest "exporter" of brilliant minds of the world.

I can talk about for myself as well. I´ve been a vegetarian for 10 years. I eat organic soy frequently, and my health is absolute perfect. I don´t get sick often, my proteins levels are very normal, I have no problems with B12. I make a check-up every year.

Of course, I don´t eat GMO food and these crappy soy snacks and milk they sell on wall-mart.

I eat only organics.

[DevilPigeon]

I always thought that miso soup tasted like warm semen ...... :( make of that what you will (I've just probably halved sales .....)

-----

10801

[DevilPigeon]

-----

This is probably stating the obvious, or even preaching to the choir, but I reckon the vast majority of illnesses & symptoms are caused by deficiencies in the diet or making less than ideal food choices.

I wonder how many cavemen suffered from cancer/erectile dysfunction/lethargy/ADHD/IBS/[insert symptom here].........?

No. They used to die before the 30s! :)

I agree that GMO soy is a problem, however, I don´t agree that natural, organic soy is a problem. I´ve ready many studies about its benefits, in fact.

I read a book (I don´t remember the name) where they have conducted a study in India. India has the biggest vegetarian population in the world.

In this book, they tell the benefits of soy, including to young children. They couldn´t find any problem related with vitamin B12, lack of protein or problems with brain development there.

In fact, India is one of the biggest "exporter" of brilliant minds of the world.

I can talk about for myself as well. I´ve been a vegetarian for 10 years. I eat organic soy frequently, and my health is absolute perfect. I don´t get sick often, my proteins levels are very normal, I have no problems with B12. I make a check-up every year.

Of course, I don´t eat GMO food and these crappy soy snacks and milk they sell on wall-mart.

I eat only organics.

Yeah, but if they didn't die before their 30s then I still reckon they'd have lived longer..! :p

[nearing]

If you want to eat Soy, please do your body a HUGE favor and only eat it fermented. Unfermented soy is a poison.

Who 'paid for' this research? Go to the Weston Price Foundation website and READ. This info has been around long before big Washington lobbyists.

...and may I add this very important link to this thread as it concerns our health and diet and time is of the essence:

http://projectavalon.net/forum4/showthread.php?33307-Fight-FDA-Fascism-Deadline-Dec.1

[modwiz]

Can you say “erectile dysfunction” and “prostate cancer?”

GMO soy beans are the main culprit behind these two insidious diseases.

Erectile dysfunction alone has become a multi billion dollar industry thanks to gmo soy . . . . . .



Thanks for that RM.
One thing that springs to mind - as soya contains a form of oestrogen that is known to help replace hormone imbalance in menopausal women, wouldn't that have an adverse effect on children and men who are consuming it as a 'hidden' ingredient in everyday food?

Hmm, interesting. One of the treatments for enlarged prostate and prostate cancer is to give men female hormones. I have eaten soy products for 21+ years and at 58 years of age, am still very dangerous. I have a friend who swears when he eats soy his breasts swell and hurt. He is an interesting fellow. I do not doubt that there may be feminizing issues for some men. Diet is a very personal affair and blanket statements invariably end up having enough exceptions to the rule to need some kind of caveat appended to them, and soya is one of them. At least the organic variety. With frankenfoods all bets are off because they are imposters.

[shamanseeker]

I always thought that miso soup tasted like warm semen ...... :( make of that what you will (I've just probably halved sales .....)

Thanks w1ndmill: I used to like miso soup :eek: They do a lovely, really hot one in a little Japanese cafè-type place in Milan and it was very warming and comforting in the winter.

[enfoldedblue]

Thanks for posting. I think it is important to raise this issue, as there is so much industry spin at the moment focused on portraying soya products as ultra healthy. For years I ate loads of soya products, thinking them a healthy alternative to meat. It was when I started reading up on breast cancer prevention (my mom had it 3x) and discovered that high levels of oestrogen are very dangerous and that soya is one of the biggest culprits. The more I looked into it the more negatives I discovered.

The worst part is that it is actually so difficult to really avoid, as our food chain is now saturated with it. Because it has become the primary agricultural feed almost all meat, eggs, milk etc are tainted by it....even organic!

It is important to note (as many have pointed out) that traditional soya products like miso, tempeh and soya sauce are very different, as the fermentation process turns them into a very healthy and worthwhile food.

Ultimately I try to give my body food that makes it happy :)...I want every cell to vibrate and sing. In today's world it is not always possible to get pure good food, but I think we can use our minds and hearts to effect the energy of the food...raising it's vibration...and thus ours.

LOVE ALLways, c

[blufire]

Please everyone research a little deeper . . . . .

GMO (genetically modified organisms) soybeans are the culprit and should be avoided at all costs.

Fermentation only changes the “chemical structure” of soybeans but cannot change the genetic structure . . . . therefore a gmo- soybean cannot be made “healthy” or safe to eat.

The Japanese do not use gmo soybean seed in their agricultural practices; they largely plant old traditional or heirloom varieties. They do not plant thousands of acres at a time and therefore do not have to use herbicides as we do here in the US.

Another very important fact and Truth: It is harder and harder to find the old traditional and heirloom variety seed to plant . . . . especially if you need 100’s of pounds of seed. The only seed readily available is the GMO seed. So be aware that many organic farms are planting this gmo seed thinking if they don’t use the herbicide it will be okay. A genetically mutated seed will ALWAYS produce a genetically mutated soybean.


Thanks for posting. I think it is important to raise this issue, as there is so much industry spin at the moment focused on portraying soya products as ultra healthy. For years I ate loads of soya products, thinking them a healthy alternative to meat. It was when I started reading up on breast cancer prevention (my mom had it 3x) and discovered that high levels of oestrogen are very dangerous and that soya is one of the biggest culprits. The more I looked into it the more negatives I discovered.

The worst part is that it is actually so difficult to really avoid, as our food chain is now saturated with it. Because it has become the primary agricultural feed almost all meat, eggs, milk etc are tainted by it....even organic!

It is important to note (as many have pointed out) that traditional soya products like miso, tempeh and soya sauce are very different, as the fermentation process turns them into a very healthy and worthwhile food.

Ultimately I try to give my body food that makes it happy :)...I want every cell to vibrate and sing. In today's world it is not always possible to get pure good food, but I think we can use our minds and hearts to effect the energy of the food...raising it's vibration...and thus ours.

LOVE ALLways, c

[onawah]

Good point, Blufire. I just assumed that people would understand GMOs are not healthy no matter what you do to them, including fermentation.
But even organic soy products that are not fermented or sprouted are not healthy, IMHO.

[Bo Atkinson]

I've eaten whole-bean, organic soy and especially whole-grain, whole-green, whole seed, whole everything, etc for 40 plus years now, vegetarian for 20+ years and often find vegan style detoxing very helpful to raise vibrations and energy... While hard labor is one of my main occupations, with a rural lifestyle. I struggle with laborious food preparations as do many humans. So that it is clear to me why people choose processed, easy foods. On a better world, (easy) processed foods would actually compete for health qualities. Unlike our world, so utterly backward and so slow to determine what actually constitutes health and well being.

Any single food substance taken to excess will cause problems. Moderation includes needed nutrient balancing. Even too much water will drown us and too much air hyperventalate.

I think the main troubles with soy, where sited above, are indeed, food processing with uncertain additives and bio-chemical-conversions, ag- toxins, added-hormones, etc... Modified-soy should not be equated with whole-soy bean. Some of the loudest world controllers want us short lived, confused and buying death by medicine.

To enjoy this heavy debate to fullest, include among your researchers: Gary Null: http://www.garynull.com/search?cx=partner-pub-7020000866746379%3A9934322198&cof=FORID%3A10&ie=UTF-8&q=soy&sa=Search&siteurl=www.garynull.com%2Fsearch%2F
Gary null has contributed to this debate for decades and still wins marathons....

Choose your recipes for life and then accept the results.

[enfoldedblue]

Hi Blufire,

I believe that you are absolutely correct about the GMO...I avoid it big time...all GMO! However I am not sure that you are correct that fermentation does not matter. Here is a tiny bit of an article from NAtural News...I've included the link below ..if you're interested in the topic it is worth reading in its entirety.

LOVE ALLways, c

"Perhaps the most disturbing of soy's ill effects on health has to do with its phytoestrogens, which can mimic the effects of the female hormone, oestrogen. These phytoestrogens have been found to have adverse effects on various human tissues, and drinking only two glasses of soy milk daily for one month has enough of the chemical to alter a woman's menstrual cycle.

Soy is particularly problematic for infants and it would be very wise to avoid giving them soy-derived products, since it has been estimated that infants who are exclusively fed soy formula receive the equivalent of five birth control pills worth of oestrogen every day. Check out (www.westonaprice.org) to find some alarming research and statistics on what can go wrong when infants and children are regularly fed soy formula.

In order to derive some benefit from soy, consuming only fermented soy products - such as organic miso (mugi barley and genmai miso are the best), organic tempeh, soy sauce or tamari and natto - is the way to do it. This is because the phytic acid, which is inherent in soy beans, has been neutralized in the process of fermentation. Consuming fermented soy is very beneficial in recolonizing the friendly bacteria in the large intestine, which neutralizes the 'unfriendly' bacteria and allows for greater general assimilation of foods and nutrients.


Learn more: http://www.naturalnews.com/022630_soy_food_phytic_acid.html#ixzz1cXCHtz6z


Please everyone research a little deeper . . . . .

GMO (genetically modified organisms) soybeans are the culprit and should be avoided at all costs.

Fermentation only changes the “chemical structure” of soybeans but cannot change the genetic structure . . . . therefore a gmo- soybean cannot be made “healthy” or safe to eat.

The Japanese do not use gmo soybean seed in their agricultural practices; they largely plant old traditional or heirloom varieties. They do not plant thousands of acres at a time and therefore do not have to use herbicides as we do here in the US.

Another very important fact and Truth: It is harder and harder to find the old traditional and heirloom variety seed to plant . . . . especially if you need 100’s of pounds of seed. The only seed readily available is the GMO seed. So be aware that many organic farms are planting this gmo seed thinking if they don’t use the herbicide it will be okay. A genetically mutated seed will ALWAYS produce a genetically mutated soybean.


Thanks for posting. I think it is important to raise this issue, as there is so much industry spin at the moment focused on portraying soya products as ultra healthy. For years I ate loads of soya products, thinking them a healthy alternative to meat. It was when I started reading up on breast cancer prevention (my mom had it 3x) and discovered that high levels of oestrogen are very dangerous and that soya is one of the biggest culprits. The more I looked into it the more negatives I discovered.

The worst part is that it is actually so difficult to really avoid, as our food chain is now saturated with it. Because it has become the primary agricultural feed almost all meat, eggs, milk etc are tainted by it....even organic!

It is important to note (as many have pointed out) that traditional soya products like miso, tempeh and soya sauce are very different, as the fermentation process turns them into a very healthy and worthwhile food.

Ultimately I try to give my body food that makes it happy :)...I want every cell to vibrate and sing. In today's world it is not always possible to get pure good food, but I think we can use our minds and hearts to effect the energy of the food...raising it's vibration...and thus ours.

LOVE ALLways, c

[music]

Stick with Carrots and peas, the real food odf the Gods!

Let me give you Keith Richards' recipe for mashed potato: In water place a chopped onion, grated carrot, handful of peas, potato (obviously), salt, and a dash of vinegar. I mash it with butter and sour cream. Nice one Keef.

[music]

A point about GMO. Genetic alteration is expressed in the chemisty of the food. Genes are like the plans for a house: if the design is sound, the house won't fall on your head and kill you, but if the design is unsound, it possibly will. But it is the house that kills you, not the plans. Organic soya that is not fermented has natural genetics that make it uncondicive to full health in the human animal. Fermenting it doesn't alter it genetically, but alters the chemistry to make it beneficial to the human animal.

So, fermented, organic soy products, as the Japanese have known all along, without the benefit of the internet :)

Thanks for giving the heads up, Tarka

[mahalall]

Informative thread,
As much as i love fermented soya, best quality products coming from Japan (Natto and Miso's). The thought of possible Cesium 137 contamination, although probably irrational, have resulted in a move to spirulina-green teeth and all (but this deserves it's own thread).