With all the loads of scientific data available that soy (even edamame) is not a healthy part of anyone’s diet, it shocks me how many folks are still on the “soy is good for you” bandwagon – even people who should know better like your doctor!
I just got an email from a reader the other day who had been to multiple doctors, both holistic and conventional, and all but one of them were telling her that plenty of soy in her diet would help her menopause symptoms.
I had another shocking conversation recently with a doctor of Internal Medicine who had no idea soy was a potent goitrogenic food and actively suppressed thyroid function.
Be careful folks. It’s dangerous out there! You really need to do your research and be on your toes at all times when it comes to nutritional advice even from someone in a white coat!
For those of you who just sat down because you are so taken aback by the notion that soy is not actually the healthfood you thought it was, here are 170 scientific reasons to back up this assertion.
Fermented Soy Fine in Small Amounts for Some People
Please note that fermented soy in small, condimental amounts as practiced in traditional Asian cultures is fine for those who have healthy thyroid function. Only miso, tempeh, natto and traditionally brewed soy sauce fall under this category. In addition, if you want to sprinkle a few edamame on your salad or have a few small cubes of tofu in your miso soup from time to time, that is fine too. A little soy lecithin in a nonGMO snack food from time to time isn’t necessarily a problem either. Just don’t make it a regular part of your diet!
If you have any sort of thyroid issues going on, however, it is really the best policy to avoid all soy all the time as soy is a potent goitrogen (thyroid suppressor) even if fermented.
Dangers of Soy #1
A 1991 study found that eating only 2 TBL/day of roasted and pickled soybeans for 3 months to healthy adults who were receiving adequate iodine in their diet caused thyroid suppression with symptoms of malaise, constipation, sleepiness, and goiters (Nippon Naibunpi Gakkai Zasshi 1991, 767: 622-629)!
Still think munching on edamame instead of popcorn is a healthy habit?
Dangers of Soy #2
Six premenopausal women with normal menstrual cycles were given 45 mg of soy isoflavones per day. This is equivalent to only 1-2 cups of soy milk or 1/2 cup of soy flour! After only one month, all of the women experienced delayed menstruation with the effects similar to tamoxifen, the anti-estrogen drug given to women with breast cancer (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 1994 Sep;60(3):333-340).
Dangers of Soy #3
Dietary estrogens in the form of soy foods were found to have the potential to disrupt the endocrine system with the effects in women similar to taking the breast cancer drug tamoxifen (Proceedings of the Society for Experimental Biology and Medicine 1995 Jan;208(1):51-9).
Dangers of Soy #4
Estrogens consumed in the diet at low concentrations were found to stimulate breast cells much like DDT to increase enzymatic activity which leads to breast cancer (Environmental Health Perspectives 1997 Apr;105 (Suppl 3):633-636).
Dangers of Soy #5
The soy isoflavones genistein and daidzein appear to stimulate existing breast cancer growth indicating risk in consuming soy products if a woman has breast cancer. (Annals of Pharmacotherapy 2001 Sep;35(9):118-21).
Dangers of Soy #6
Direct evidence that soy isoflavones genistein and daidzein suppress the pituitary-thyroid axis in middle-aged rats fed 10 mg soy isoflavones per kilo after only 3 weeks as compared with rats eating regular rat chow (Experimental Biology and Medicine 2010 May;235(5):590-8).
Dangers of Soy #7
Don’t eat soy when you are pregnant ladies! Scientific research has shown that the developing male fetus which is exposed to soy phytoestrogens may suffer from higher susceptibility to prostate cancer later in life (Prostate 1994;24(2):67-78).
Dangers of Soy #8
Keep that soy away from your daughters! Dietary genistein (soy phytoestrogen) in developing female rats had the effect of significantly accelerated puberty (Toxicol Sci 1999 Oct;51(2):236-44).
In addition, early exposure to soy is associated with less female typical play patterns in girls at 42 months of age (Environ Health Perspect v. 119(12); Dec 2011).
Dangers of Soy #9
Hey guys! Soy protein powder strips your masculinity! A study of 12 men aged 18 years and older experienced a 19% drop in serum testosterone in only 28 days when supplemented with 56 grams of soy protein powder over that same time period (Prev 2007;16:829—33).
Dangers of Soy #10
Do NOT feed soy formula to your babies! Female newborns who are orally exposed to genisin, the glycosylated form of genistein (soy phytoestrogen) experienced harm to the reproductive system in the form of “delayed vaginal opening… abnormal estrous cycles, decreased fertility, and delayed parturition.” (Environmental Health Perspective 2009 Dec;117(12):1883-9).
More information on the dangers of soy infant formula even if organic can be found in this article.
Convinced yet? I don’t know about you, but ten reasons is plenty for me! Still interested to see the remaining 160 reasons? My friend Dr. Kaayla Daniel, author of the must read The Whole Soy Story, has compiled the rest of the list for you if you click here.
Sarah, The Healthy Home Economist
Sources and More Information on Women’s Health
The Dangers of Estrogenic Food, Herbs and Supplements to Breast Health
Breast Ultrasound Safer and More Effective than Mammography
When Breast Cancer Isn’t Bad News
Thermography: A Perfect Alternative to Cancer Causing Mammograms?
Even Organic Soy Formula is Harmful for Babies
Birth Control Pill Risks to your Future Child’s Health
What about organic soy? Our son drank the Nature’s One Baby Only soy formula and did really well on it. I was reading on their website that they also use the whole soybean and not soy protein isolates. “What is the difference between Whole Soybeans and Soy Isolates?
Baby’s Only Organic derives its organic soy protein concentrate from the whole soybean. Other formulas use soy protein isolates which chemically removes all the naturally occurring components of the soybean except the protein, manganese and phytoestrogens. Baby’s Only Organicâ„¢ SOY retains the natural benefits of the whole soybean as nature intended. We believe this provides balance among all the vitamins and minerals naturally found in our SOY formula. In fact, at a recent (May, 2007) conference on Diet and Optimal Health sponsored by the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University, Professor William Helferich stated “when the whole food (referring to the whole soybean) is consumed, you get a very different effect than if you consume the concentrated constituents individually.” He further noted that the whole soybean is healthier than many of its individual components. In other words, the whole soybean provides healthier nutrition than when consuming concentrated components of the soybean, such as phytoestrogens.
Does the soy protein have Raffinose and Stachyose?
Nature’s One has a production method that naturally breaks down these two sugars so that they are easily digested. Unlike soy protein isolation processes that chemically strip the soybean of many of its naturally occurring benefits, the process used by Nature’s One retains the balance of the soymilk as nature intended.”
Ok, I will do my best to eat those. Thanks so much for the help!! I really appreciate it!
Cage free, vegetarian chicken basically translates to chickens jammed in a big shed together eating GMO corn and soy, or if they’re organic it’ll be non-GMO organic corn and soy. The best chicken is pastured/free range.
The healthiest meat and eggs comes from chickens who eat plenty of bugs and grubs that they are able to peck out of clean, healthy dirt – preferably in a pasture with grazing animals like cows, horses, goats etc.
The healthiest meat and eggs comes from chickens who eat plenty of bugs and grubs that they are able to peck out of clean, healthy dirt – preferably in a pasture with grazing animals like cows, horses, goats etc.
Thanks for the help. I’ve never taken soy, but was big on whey protein isolates, chicken, and red meat until reading up on how any protein powder will usually always have some form of MSG in it, and then the whole pink slime deal came out so I stopped just buying regular red meat and found a store that sells grass-fed, hormone free read meat. So hopefully I’m on the right track now. 🙂
marcus, chickens are natural scavengers – omnivores. they shouldn’t be fed vegetarian diets.
I used to drink soymilk and inexplicably developed a horrible aversion for it when I became pregnant with my first child almost 15 years ago. I didn’t know about the dangers of soy at that time, but figured my body knew best so I stopped drinking it. Thank goodness I did given all the research about how the phytoestrogens can harm the fetus and cross the placenta.
Hi Marcus, your best bet is protein from natural sources. Just don’t go for any processed proteins as these are not good for the body (very hard to digest). A nice big steak and raw milk is what traditional bodybuilders used to build muscle mass 🙂 I believe if I remember correctly there is a great article on traditional bodybuilding on the westonaprice.org website.
I’m a natural bodybuilder and I’ve been doing my studying on GMO’s, MSG, etc. and was wondering what are your thoughts on where to get clean, healthy protein sources from? I’ve been buying Harvestland Chicken…is that any good? It’s says on it’s package they are cage-free, vegetarian fed, no hormones or anything added.
Marcus,
Undenatured Whey Protein from grass fed, free range cows (that are not shot up with hormones or antibiotics), is a very healthy source for lean muscle growth. The process preserves fragile biologically active peptides, with a high concentration of branch chained amino acids- best for muscles! I personally use isalean shakes & bars for a good source of protein and other nutrients and enzymes for digestion, and this has also shown to be good for those with lactose intolerance due to the presence of lactase, which helps the body naturally breakup lactose into easily digestible glucose and galactose.