Soy Vey!

Posted on 26. Jul, 2010 by Howard Salus in Dining, Education, Healthy Foods, Healthy Products

another fun-to-learn, highly informative, jolly  article from nationally-known and respected Christina

By Christina Pirello

If I had a nickel for every time someone asks me about soy and its health benefits, I could buy that little place in Tuscany I have had my eye on and never work again. Okay, maybe I would grow basil and sell it at the local market in the village, but that’s about it.

I’m kidding, but this is a serious issue and one that I am asked about in every setting and form of media, from classes to the internet. So I thought it was about time I set the record straight, from my point of view and understanding of the facts.

Some history. The soybean comes to us from Southeast Asia, first domesticated by the Chinese in 1100 BC. By the first century AD, Japan and many other countries were growing this prolific bean. Today, after a long history of migration, the United States produces the majority of soybeans used in the world, about 32%. The bad news is that much of that crop will go to feed livestock, produce margarine and oil and other highly processed products.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. The truth is that the soybean, in its whole state and in traditional forms, like tofu, tempeh, miso, shoyu and edamame contain carbohydrates, fat, protein, vitamins and minerals as well as containing all the amino acids essential to human health. Soybeans are rich in lecithin, a compound proven to help lower cholesterol, prevent hardening of the arteries and aid in controlling diabetes.

Some studies suggest that people whose diets include soy enjoy a reduced risk of breast cancer, prostate cancer and menopausal problems. This widely grown bean has been one of the best-researched legumes known to man. Their key benefits include a rich concentration of protein with no saturated fats, fiber and high levels of essential fatty acids. But it seems that the miracle of soy lies in its concentration of isoflavones, secondary vegetable substances that are the beauty of soybeans and the source of most of the controversy. So let’s clear things up.

Isoflavones, within which we find genistein and daidzein can act like estrogens in the body and provide a protective function to health. They are not the same as estrogens found in the human body; in fact their effectiveness represents 1/1000 of estrogen hormones. But here is their real value. Isoflavones and phyto-estrogens exercise a balancing effect when the levels of estrogen are low, like during menopause and result in fewer and less intense menopausal symptoms. These same isoflavones can also reduce the effect of estrogen on cells and tissue when the levels are high and then essentially reduce the risk of estrogen-linked cancers. See, it works like this: when natural levels of estrogen are low, isoflavones can help estrogens by activating the beta-receptors. When estrogen levels are high, the isoflavones bind with alpha-receptors and prevent the estrogens from binding to these receptors. Brilliant, right?

So why all the controversy about soy and cancer, particularly women with breast cancer being advised by doctors to avoid soy at all costs?

I think there are a couple of things going on, not the least of which is misinformation or lack of information. On the part of most doctors, I would venture to say that most women know more about soy (and food’s affect on their health in general) than their doctor. When a woman comes to me now, having been diagnosed with breast or some other reproductive cancer, telling me that their doctor has advised them to stay away from soy, I ask them this. How much soy did they eat before they were diagnosed? Usually, the answer is none at all. Then I ask them how much dairy they ate before they were diagnosed? Usually, the answer is a lot. So the conclusion is that a food they did not eat can contribute to their cancer, but a food they did eat that is notoriously loaded with hormones is okay for their health as they go forward. Am I the only one who thinks this is a little crazy?

The humble soybean will not make men grow breasts; shrink their prostates; reduce the brain development in babies; increase the risk of dementia in old people or cause your breast cancer to get worse…at least not soybeans in their traditional forms, like tofu, tempeh, edamame, miso and soy sauce.

That said; there is a dark side to soy that can be problematic to your health.

Once marketing sunk its teeth into this wonderful food, everything changed. Today, the only soy I would consider using is organic and in one of the traditional forms listed above. So many of the products made with soy and marketed as healthy are in fact, not.

Many companies decided that since soy was so great for health: it could lower cholesterol; it could balance hormones; it was high in protein, low in fat and rich in essential nutrients, they would need to figure out a way to include it in every single product marketed to women. And so they did. The result of this ingenuity? Soy isolates or isolated soy protein, both names for an adulterated soy product that has reared its ugly head and compromised the health benefits of soy.

Advances in technology make it possible to produce an isolated version of the soy protein so they can claim health benefits. Problem is when the protein is isolated, the isoflavones are not effective in their benefits. So they take this defatted, high protein, foul-smelling waste product and transform it into things to sell to us and market these products as healthy. Flavorings, preservatives, sweeteners, emulsifiers and synthetic nutrients all combine to turn isolated soy protein into a New Age Cinderella, except it isn’t. This version of soy is highly processed and not a healthy ingredient for us in our day to day diets. In fact, I would go so far as to say to skip any product that contains the ingredient ‘isolated soy protein’ or ‘soy isolates.’

Now, I have heard all the other views, from Dr. Mercola to Weston Price and everyone in between. I have read most of the articles out there from Men’s Health to various newsletters. Their extreme views demonize soy leading us to believe that this humble bean will cause everything from genital shrinkage to brain malformation to cancer. I hear them; I read their articles and even see their research, but I have to say that in my 27 years of living a lifestyle where soy plays a role, I have not seen any…not one…of these problems with my students, clients or my family.

As a soy lover, I will tell you that there is one health condition where soy is not appropriate and I, personally, have not seen any way around this one. People with thyroid issues, whether on medication or not, need to minimize or avoid soy completely. I have worked with people and have not seen any changes that would allow for soy to play a major role in their diets. Sorry about that.

And then there are allergies. Some people have a hard time digesting soy or have an allergy to soybeans. In these cases, I also think people need to minimize or avoid soy, although I have seen people with allergies change and tolerate soy over time once they have changed the way they eat overall and their digestion improves.

So…in light of all the information out there, some good and some, as Jon Stewart says, not so much, it remains, as always, up to you to decide what you want to do about soy in your life. If you decide to include it, go with certified organic only and with products made from whole soybeans in traditional forms. It would be a waste of a perfectly healthy food to let scare tactics, misinformation, special interests and marketing deprive us of the wonders of the humble soybean.

Looking forward to reading your comments (see below) . . bye for now.

Tags: Dining, Education, food