| Soy "stops cancer and baldness" (1) | | | | both adults and infants. In particular, he |
| | | | firmly believes that soy formula |
| "Soy foods can stimulate the growth of | | | | manufacturers should remove the isoflavones |
| oestrogen-dependent tumours and cause thyroid | | | | -- that part of the soy products that act as |
| problems." (7) | | | | anti-thyroid agents -- from their products |
| | | | (2) How do researchers induce thyroid cancers |
| "Boosting your Soy intake could reduce your | | | | in laboratory animals? They use |
| risk of breast cancer." (5) | | | | thyroid-inhibiting foods like soy in |
| | | | combination with thyroid boosting drugs like |
| "A British Government report concluded that | | | | Synthroid. (6) How much soy can impair |
| there is little evidence that soy foods | | | | thyroid problems? Perhaps as little as 30 mg |
| protect against breast cancer or any other | | | | or less than a glass of soy milk. (4) |
| forms of cancer. In fact, soy foods may | | | | |
| result in an increased risk of cancer." (8) | | | | Soy and reproduction Here is an interesting |
| | | | fact. Tofu is consumed by Buddhist monks to |
| Confused? | | | | reduce libido. Humans and animals appear to |
| | | | be the most vulnerable to the effects of soy |
| This article on soy will examine the | | | | estrogens prenatally, during infancy and |
| following: | | | | puberty, during pregnancy and lactation - all |
| | | | the major phases of hormonal shifts with |
| - History of the humble soy bean | | | | growth and development. How powerful can soy |
| | | | be to the hormone system? One landmark study |
| - It's role in the Asian diet | | | | showed "that as little as 45mg of isoflavines |
| | | | could alter the length of a premenopausal |
| - It's role in the Western diet - where is it | | | | woman's menstrual cycle." (4) Obviously it's |
| lurking | | | | harder to find a cause and effect |
| | | | relationship as there are many potentially |
| - Critical questions regarding its safety | | | | triggers to hormonal imbalances and |
| | | | reproductive problems. However in animals |
| - The guinea pigs | | | | this has been more thoroughly tested. |
| | | | According to Dr Mary Enig (world renowned |
| Soy Beginnings The soy plant was initially | | | | lipid and hormone specialist) female pigs can |
| used as 'green manure' or a cover crop plowed | | | | only ingest it in amounts no greater than 1% |
| under to enrich the soil, and it became known | | | | during lactation phase or face developmental |
| to the Chinese as 'the yellow jewel'. Soy did | | | | problems in the piglets (8). |
| not become human food till late in the Chou | | | | |
| Dynasty (1134-246 BC), after the Chinese | | | | Soy and the environment Soy was previously |
| developed a process of fermentation to make | | | | considered a good source of protein which |
| it into soy paste, called miso, with the | | | | attracted vegetarians looking for meat |
| run-off liquid called soy sauce. Tofu came | | | | alternatives. But it's a double whammy for |
| after miso and in Japan, and China it was | | | | environmental and health conscious |
| rarely served as a main course except in | | | | vegetarians as the effect of soy farming on |
| monasteries where it was eaten with miso or | | | | the environment is dramatic. It is predicted |
| fish stock. Around 1000 A.D fermented soy | | | | that 10,000 hectares of forest every year in |
| foods, natto and tempeh entered the food | | | | Argentina (20 football fields an hour). If |
| supply. Modern soy products such as | | | | this continues at this rate in fives years |
| soy-protein isolate and concentrate made | | | | time the country's native forests will have |
| using highly processed methods were unknown | | | | disappeared. Similar scenarios are being |
| in Asia till after World War II. Furthermore | | | | played out in Brazil, Paraguay and Bolivia |
| neither soy milk nor infant formula is | | | | all thanks to companies like the genetic |
| traditional in Asia. The first person to | | | | engineering giant Monsanto. The World Wide |
| manufacture soy milk was actually an American | | | | Fund for Nature published a report recently |
| missionary and physician Harry Miller. | | | | calculating that 22 million hectares of |
| "Claims that soybeans have been a major part | | | | forests and savannah in South America (an |
| of the Asian diet for more than 3,000 years, | | | | area the size of Great Britain) will be wiped |
| or 'time immemorial' are simply not true." | | | | out by 2020. Crops have also triggered soil |
| (6) | | | | erosion, and the widespread use of pesticides |
| | | | and chemicals are destroying some of the |
| Soy in the Asian diet According to a | | | | world's most delicate habitats. (3). |
| spokesman for Cancer Research UK "There's a | | | | |
| lot of research that countries with a high | | | | Soy Business Soy is traded as an |
| intake of soy in their diet, such as Japan, | | | | international commodity, like oil and gold. |
| tend to have lower rates of prostate cancer | | | | It's a multi-billion dollar industry. "The |
| and some other types, with the active | | | | reason there's so much soy in America is |
| ingredients in soy thought to be | | | | because they [the soy industry] started to |
| isoflavones." (1). Sounds very compelling, | | | | plant soy to extract the oil from it and soy |
| however let's elaborate how much soy is | | | | oil became a very large industry. Once they |
| actually in the Japanese and Asian diet. | | | | had as much oil as they did in the food |
| According to the soy industry's own figures | | | | supply they had a lot of soy protein residue |
| Asians eat very little soy; around 9.3 to | | | | left over, and since they can't feed it to |
| 36grams per day in China, Japan, Korea, | | | | animals, except in small amounts, they had to |
| Indonesia, and Taiwan. In comparison a cup of | | | | find another market." (2) |
| Tofu is 252grams, or soy milk 240 grams (6). | | | | |
| More importantly the quality is hardly | | | | Conclusion So Soy's reputation as a health |
| comparable, with the Asian countries | | | | panacea is now badly blemished. It still has |
| generally eating their soy already fermented | | | | some supporters, but it is important to |
| like miso soup, not as tofu, sausages or meat | | | | examine their background to ensure they are |
| replacement foods. According to Sally Fallon | | | | not just PR mouthpieces for a very powerful |
| from Weston A Price foundation (leading | | | | Soy industry. Big Soy, like big |
| independent health group) approximately 65% | | | | pharmaceutical, has been a powerful force |
| of Japanese calories come from fish while in | | | | shaping an attitude to nutrition and health. |
| China the same percentage from Pork. So it is | | | | Given the mounting evidence that does not |
| far from the backbone of their diet (8). | | | | support Soy as a health food I believe we |
| | | | need to be very nervous about accepting big |
| Soy in the Western diet Apart from the | | | | Soy spin as nutritional gospel. |
| obvious where else is soy lurking? Research | | | | |
| estimates that soy is present in 70% of all | | | | Your 3d Coach |
| supermarket products and widely used in Fast | | | | |
| Food chains. Soy is used to bulk out and bind | | | | Craig Burton |
| many processed foods such as sausages, | | | | |
| lasagne, beef burgers and chicken nuggets | | | | References |
| (food firms can then put a higher protein | | | | |
| value on them). Even the husk is used for | | | | 1. BBC News 2004, Soy stops cancer and |
| fibre in breads, cereals, and snacks. The big | | | | Baldness, 14/11/2004 |
| one is in vegetable oil- soy is the most | | | | |
| consumed vegetable oil in the world and is | | | | 2. Soy: Is it healthy or is it harmful |
| used in margarines, salad dressings and | | | | |
| cooking oils. Food labels simply list soy oil | | | | 3. Anthony Barnett, The Observer, They hailed |
| as vegetable oil As well as that 90% of the | | | | it a wonder food, 7/11/2004 |
| 200 million tonnes of soy produced annually | | | | |
| is used to feed animals (3). | | | | 4. Sean Carson, The shadow of Soy or, How I |
| | | | stopped loving and learned to worry about the |
| Soy and the Thyroid According to Mary Shomon | | | | bean |
| editor of (9) "Soy products increase the | | | | |
| risk of thyroid disease. And this danger is | | | | 5. Soy Health benefits: why boosting your |
| particularly great for infants on soy | | | | intake of soy could reduce your risk of |
| formula...More than 70 years of human, animal | | | | breast cancer |
| and laboratory studies show that soybeans put | | | | |
| the thyroid at risk." Dr. Mike Fitzpatrick, | | | | 6. Whole soy story: The dark side of |
| an environmental scientist and phytoestrogen | | | | America's favorite health food. Daniel, K, T |
| researcher who has conducted in-depth studies | | | | |
| on soy, particularly the use of soy formulas | | | | 7. New Zealand Medical Journal (vol 113 Feb |
| published in the New Zealand Medical journal. | | | | 11 2000) Soy Formulas and the effects of |
| Dr. Fitzpatrick makes it clear that soy | | | | isoflavones on the thyroid. |
| products can have a detrimental affect on | | | | |