SOY: MIRACLE FOOD OR CONSUMER BEWARE?

Soy products have swept the nation as a healthy source of protein, with a reputation for being all natural and good for you. Reported to promote heart health, alleviate symptoms associated with menopause, reduce the risk of certain cancers, build strong bones, and lower levels of LDL, the “bad” cholesterol, soy has been promoted for it’s ability to lower disease risk while absolving guilt associated with eating meat.

Soy is everywhere in our food supply, as the star in cereals and health- promoting foods and hidden in processed foods. You are likely to find soy in your supplements and vitamins, in foods such as canned tuna, soups, sauces, breads, meats (injected under poultry skin), and chocolate, and in pet food and body-care products. Soy protein isolate and textured vegetable protein are used extensively in school lunch programs, commercial baked goods, diet beverages and fast food products. They are heavily promoted in third world countries and form the basis of many food giveaway programs. And don’t forget about tofu, soy burgers, vegetable oil (which is primarily soy oil), soymilk, soy cheese, edamame, and soy formula for babies.

With all this positive press and widespread usage, it’s no wonder soy is considered a wonder food. However, new studies have raised questions over whether the ingredients in soy might actually increase the risk of breast cancer in some women, affect brain function in men and lead to hidden developmental abnormalities in infants. In addition, animal studies with soy have shown infertility, early sexual development, deformed, stunted and still born babies, bone deformities, goiter (malfunctioning thyroid), poorly functioning digestive organs, immune system disorders and pathological aggressive behavior.

Epidemiological studies have shown that Asians have a lower incidence of breast and prostate cancer than people in the United States, and many credit a traditional diet that includes soy. And while Asians do have lower rates of reproductive cancers, they have much higher rates of esophageal, stomach, pancreatic, liver, thyroid and digestive cancers.

So what’s in soy that can hurt us?

Soybeans, as provided by nature, are unfit for human consumption. Only after fermentation and extensive processing are they suitable for digestion. (Fermenting soy--think of miso, natto, tempeh--creates health-promoting probiotics, the good bacteria our bodies need to maintain digestive wellbeing.) Raw soybeans contain large quantities of natural toxins or “anti-nutrients.” First among them are potent enzyme inhibitors that block the action of enzymes needed for protein digestion.

Soybeans contain clot-promoting substances that cause red blood cells to clump together and that are growth inhibitors, causing rats to fail to grow normally. Growth-depressant compounds are deactivated during the process of fermentation, so once the Chinese discovered how to ferment the soybean, only then did they begin to incorporate soy foods into their diets.

 Soy also contains goitrogens, substances that depress thyroid function. In addition, they are high in phytic acids, a substance that can block the uptake of essential minerals—calcium, magnesium, copper, iron, zinc—in the intestinal tract. Only a long period of fermentation will significantly reduce the phytate content of soybeans.

When the precipitated soy products like tofu are consumed with meat, the mineral-blocking effects of the phytates are reduced. So vegetarians who consume tofu and bean curd as a substitute for meat and dairy products risk severe mineral deficiencies (as do women in menopause who up their soy intake through supplements) especially from zinc.  Zinc is the intelligence mineral needed for optimal development and functioning of the brain and nervous system.  It is involved in the blood-sugar control mechanism and thus protects against diabetes and is needed for a healthy reproductive system. Zinc is also a key component in numerous vital enzymes and plays a part in the immune system.
 
Soy producers have worked hard to get these anti-nutrients out of the finished product, particularly soy protein isolate (SPI) which is the key ingredient in most soy foods that imitate meat and dairy products, including baby formulas and some brands of soy milk.  SPI is actually the left over by-product of creating soy oil.   So instead of throwing it away, it gets added to processed foods to add protein, giving companies an inexpensive way to add protein to a variety of products.

 In order to be fit for human consumption, soybeans have to be mixed in alkaline and acid solutions, and spray dried at high temperatures that can form nitrites and other toxins that are potent carcinogens. Much of the enzyme inhibitor content can be removed, but not all, and results can vary. Numerous artificial flavorings, particularly MSG, are added to SPI to mask its strong “beany” taste.

Soy contains phytochemicals—plant nutrients with disease-fighting activity—called isoflavones. Although soy’s isoflavones may have an adaptogenic effect (contributing to an estrogen-boosting or -blocking effect where needed), they also have the potential to promote hormone-sensitive cancers in some people. Studies on the effects of isoflavones on human estrogen levels are conflicting, and it’s possible that they affect people differently.  In men, soy has been shown to lower testosterone levels and sex drive.

The highest risk is for infants who are fed soy formula.  In 1998, investigators reported that the daily exposure of infants to isoflavones in soy infant formula is 6 to 11 times higher on a body-weight basis than the dose that has hormonal effects in adults consuming soy foods. Approximately 25% of bottle-fed children in the US receive soy formula and an infant exclusively fed soy formula receives the estrogen equivalent (based on body weight) of at least 5 birth control pills per day. The estrogens in soy can affect the hormonal development of these children, and can affect their growing brains, reproductive systems, and thyroid. Soy formula also contains large amounts of manganese, which has been linked to attention deficit disorder and neurotoxicity in infants. The Israeli health ministry recently issued an advisory stating that infants should avoid soy formula altogether.

We at Wellness Alternatives believe that soy is over ingested and detrimental to your optimal health.  If you have individual concerns about how soy is affecting you, call us today at 636-227-4949

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