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