The dangers of soy

For years I bought soy milk, stocked it on my shelf, told myself I should open it and include it in my diet. However, after opening, it only stays in the refrigerator for a month or two. Then, of course, it’s too old to drink so I flush it down the sink and the cycle repeats a couple of months later. Now I think my body was telling me it didn’t want soy milk, since I’ve been reading about the soy controversy lately. Here is a summary of that information…

Isoflavones, estrogen-like hormones that work to help keep you young and healthy, may not be the magic food you’ve been led to believe. Soy is just one example of the many fad foods/supplements/cures I find myself exposed to trying to figure out the long-term health benefits before sharing them with my clients.

Soybeans have been marketed as a health food when, at one point, they were just a toxic byproduct of the vegetable oil industry. Hmm… that doesn’t sound good, does it? Don’t we eat soy in a lot of things now?

Technological advances make it possible to produce soy protein isolate (SPI) from what was once considered a waste product (high-protein, defatted soy chips), transforming something that it looks and smells terrible in products that can be consumed by humans. Synthetic flavors, preservatives, sweeteners, emulsifiers and nutrients have turned SPI, a food processors nightmare, into a very lucrative business.

All soybean farmers pay a mandatory assessment of one-half to one percent of the net market price of soybeans. The total, something like $80 million annually, supports United Soybean’s program to “strengthen soybeans’ market position and maintain and expand domestic and foreign markets for soybeans and soybean products.”

Soy milk, made from raw soybeans, posted the biggest profits, rising from $2 million in 1980 to $300 million in the United States last year. Recent advances in processing have transformed the gray, watery, bitter, bean-flavored drink into a product that Western consumers will accept.

The earliest soy foods were fermented products such as tempeh, natto, miso, and soy sauce. At a later date, possibly in the 2nd century BC. C., Chinese scientists discovered that a mashed cooked soybean could be precipitated with calcium sulfate or magnesium sulfate (Plaster of Paris or Epsom salts) to make a soft, pale curd they called tofu or bean. Curd.

The Chinese never ate unfermented soybeans as they did other legumes such as lentils, because soybeans contain large amounts of natural toxins, or “antinutrients.” These antinutrients are not completely deactivated during normal cooking. They can cause severe gastric upset, reduced protein digestion, and chronic deficiencies in amino acid absorption. In test animals, diets high in these antinutrients called trypsin inhibitors cause enlargement and pathological conditions of the pancreas, including cancer.

Other harmful substances in soy products include hemagglutinin, goitrogens, phytic acid, nitrates, and phytoestrogens (in large amounts). What are these things? Good…

Hemagglutinin is a clot-promoting substance that causes red blood cells to clump together.

Trypsin inhibitors and hemagglutinin are growth inhibitors that are deactivated during the fermentation process. In precipitated products (such as tofu), the enzyme inhibitors are concentrated in the soaking liquid rather than in the curd. Therefore, in tofu and bean curd, growth depressants are reduced in quantity but not completely eliminated.

Soy also contains goitrogens, substances that depress thyroid function. This is one of my main concerns as I see our population having more and more thyroid problems with each passing year.

Soybeans are also high in phytic acid, present in the bran or hulls of all seeds. Phytic acid can block the absorption of essential minerals (calcium, magnesium, copper, iron, and especially zinc) in the intestinal tract. Scientists generally agree that grain- and plant-based diets high in phytates contribute to widespread mineral deficiencies in third world countries.

The Japanese have traditionally eaten small amounts of tofu or miso as part of a mineral-rich fish broth, followed by a serving of meat or fish. This is not how vegetarians and vegans consume soy. The results of calcium, magnesium, and iron deficiency are well known; those of zinc are less so. These are the exact mineral deficiencies I have been seeing in my practice.

Many people in my practice now have the telltale tanned chin, indicative of iron deficiency. They’re low on energy and worried about osteoporosis, but they look like thyroid cases. Your thumbs point toward your hips as you stand and walk instead of forward, and they load more weight evenly distributed on your body. Most of my clients are also low in zinc.

Zinc is necessary for the optimal development and function of the brain and nervous system, it is used in protein synthesis, collagen formation, in the blood sugar control mechanism, thus protecting against diabetes, and it is necessary for a healthy reproductive system. Zinc is a key component in numerous vital enzymes and plays a role in the healthy function of the immune system. These uses are among hundreds of other ways the body uses zinc.

Soy processors have worked hard to get these antinutrients out of the finished product, particularly from soy protein isolate (SPI), the key ingredient in most meat-mimicking soy foods and dairy products, including formulas for babies and some brands of soy milk. (For more on this, read my other article on soy, The Dangers of Feeding Soy to Children.

Nitrites, which are potent carcinogens, are formed during the spray-drying process of making soy protein isolate (SPI). SPI-fed test animals develop enlarged organs, particularly the pancreas and thyroid gland, and increased fatty acid deposition in the liver.

If so, why are SPI and textured vegetable protein widely used in school lunch programs, commercial baked goods, diet beverages, and fast food items? (Ouch!) Soy is also heavily promoted in third world countries and forms the basis of many food giveaway programs.

Researchers studying soy-based foods in a school research project noted several alarming symptoms after children ate soy-based foods, including: “occasional” vomiting, bouts of mild diarrhea, upper respiratory infections , skin rashes and fever.

Many wonder then, why do the Japanese have less cancer than Americans? They? I’ve heard over the years that the Japanese, who reportedly eat 30 times more soy than Americans, have a lower incidence of breast, uterine, and prostate cancer. BUT the Japanese, and Asians in general, have much higher rates of other cancers; particularly cancer of the esophagus, stomach, pancreas, thyroid, and liver.

How much soy do Asians really eat? A Cornell study by Colin T. Campbell in 1998 found that the average daily amount of soy protein consumed in Japan was about eight grams for men and seven for women. This is just less than two teaspoons. Do the Japanese really eat more soy than Americans? At this point, I don’t think so.

Except in times of famine, Asians consume soy products only in small amounts, as a condiment, not as a replacement for animal foods, with one exception. Celibate monks who live in monasteries and lead a vegetarian lifestyle find soy foods very useful because they reduce libido.

So what are the side effects of too much soy? (These are only in alphabetical order and not by incidence proportion.)

or swelling
o Breast cancer (soy isoflavones mimic estrogen)
o Calcium deficiencies (soy blocks calcium absorption)
o Cognitive impairment (especially in postmenopausal women who have high levels of estrogen in their blood)
or constipation
or depression
or endocrine disruption
or fatigue
o Goiter Hair loss
or hot flashes
or hypothyroidism
or infertility
o Irregular periods
or lethargy
o Loss of muscle tone
o Painful periods
or premature aging
or thyroid cancer
or thyroid disease
o Increased thyroid-stimulating hormone
or uterine cysts
o Vitamin D deficiencies
o Weight gain despite exercise and diet

How much is too much soy? In 1991, Japanese researchers reported that consuming as little as 30 grams or two tablespoons of soy per day for just one month resulted in a significant increase in thyroid-stimulating hormone, and 100 grams of soy protein (promoted for its ability to strengthen bones). isoflavones and cholesterol-lowering effects) contains the estrogenic equivalent of the pill. In vitro studies suggest that isoflavones inhibit the synthesis of estradiol and other steroid hormones. I am wondering if it is really safe to take this type of supplement if you have a family history of estrogen influenced breast cancer. I don’t think I would risk it. We get enough xenoestrogens in our environment as it is. We haven’t discussed the problems with soy these days being genetically modified. That is another article in itself!