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