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
This story is a nice example of how to become hysterical over poor evidence.
The Chinese do NOT eat just a few soy beans as a condiment when they eat soy. That’s ridiculous. People who eat more soy, eat less beef and are less likely to be obese. What are the health benefits and risks of not being obese? Soy helps with bone health, and, a reminder, people are not rats or mice. Experiments on rats and mice do not necessarily have the same implications for humans. There are just as many experiments showing health benefits of soy. It’s not a settled question but you might notice that there are a lot of Chinese people around and they seem to be dominating the world at present.
Try being a little more “fair and balanced,” Sarah. You don’t need a white coat for that.
Studies are often sponsored by profit driven companies that would not want anyone to know the benefits of something like soy – real soy, not the processed kind that’s made into some synthetic faux food. Besides, Asians, for example, are much healthier than we Americans – especially in that their rate of breast cancer is much lower – and soy has been a staple in their diets for thousands of years. That’s a fact that I’d like to hear explained by whoever deems soy harmful.
Soy is natural with many health benefits. Also, soy crops do not rape the land of nutrients like corn crops do – but we need the corn crops to stuff the sentient animals we torture to fatten them up before murdering them for consumption. That must be okay, because it’s making a profit. Maybe these companies keep making profits because we believe their bullshit instead of making the effort to find out the truth.
there is no need to fear soy, or most other natural foods in moderation.
If soy was so dangerous all the people living in China would have breast cancer, thyroid problems, prostate cancer or no periods. So basically they would be having a lot of reproductive issues…….not happening.
I wish I was told about this 14 years ago. my baby could’nt have regular formula and I could’nt breast feed because of my medications. so they gave her Soy formula. she’s now 14 and only 4’11 and will not grow anymore. I feel like i did this to her and I’m so depressed now about it. I just hope she will be able to have children .
In short, THANK YOU for this post. I love that you included the medical references. I often recommend to my clients to steer away from soy for a handful of reasons I explain at the time. However, now I have a handy, medically referenced resource to explain why in more detail. While I do not believe that anything in tiny amounts will wreck one’s health (if the person is healthy and has systems running optimally), soy is particular scary due to its vast marketing as a “health food”. It is no wonder that even those who are extremely conscientious about what they eat are confused. It’s so important to share good information so that people can be supported in making informed choices. Thanks again!
this link isn’t getting me there like it did last night!
Soy today…something else tomorrow. If it isn’t one thing it is something else. We will continue to eat non GMO organic soy on occasion.
I was a vegetarian for 21 years, using soy multiple times a day. I admit that I often didn’t make the best choices, such as soy corn dogs, burgers, and other ‘fake meats’. I then started eating gluten-free, hoping to find a way of eating that did not make me feel awful afterwards. For most of my life, I just didn’t feel well after eating. One day, it hit me that it might be all the soy. I stopped the obvious soy, and looked at ingredients even more closely. I even took the huge step to start eating the best quality organic meat. I felt so much better – instantly. I also had acupuncture for about a year, just to get my digestive fire back to working levels. I am now mostly paleo, and feel fantastic, however I had some tummy upset that past two days. After investigating, I see that my salad dressing has soy sauce as the 5th ingredient! For me, the main reason to avoid soy is that almost all of it is GM. I live in CA, and we are fighting hard to win support for labeling of GMO foods. That would make it so much easier to spot hidden soy, and corn, and canola, etc.