Soy is one of the world’s most perfect foods. It contains ALL of the amino acids, protein, calcium, iron, B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B12, folic acid and more! Soy foods also contain isoflavones and phytoestrogens (plant-based estrogens), which can prevent and treat many diseases. Contrary to much misinformation fixated on the estrogen content of soy, phytoestrogens do NOT harm the human body. Animal estrogens, on the other hand, are deleterious to health. Meat and dairy products have twice the amount of animal-based estrogens than the plant estrogens found in soy. Furthermore, phytoestrogens are of a much weaker variety than animal-based estrogen, and some studies have suggested that these weaker estrogens may actually inhibit the deleterious effects of the stronger estrogens consumed through flesh foods. Additionally, 95 percent of all genetically engineered soy in America is used as animal feed. This means that if someone was truly concerned about soy, they would still have to take the vegan route because the animals they’re eating were fed genetically modified soy. 

Don’t be fooled by all the negative publicity swirling around soy foods in recent years. Most of this misinformation issues from the meat, egg, and dairy industries. That much is to be expected, because nothing turns people into thoroughgoing liars faster than when their livelihoods are threatened by the truth! Surprisingly, however, soy foods have also come under attack by doctors who are misguided about their food choices, and by unpaid meat-industry spokespeople like Eric Schlosser and Michael Pollan (authors of Fast Food Nation, Food Inc., and The Omnivore’s Dilemma) who are blinded by their bloodthirsty cravings of flesh, dairy and eggs. (What’s the omnivore’s dilemma by the way, especially when humans are actually herbivores and NOT omnivores/carnivores? I didn’t realize that being kind to animals instead of cruel was a dilemma! Is imitating Pythagoras instead of Descartes really confusing? Is choosing compassion over hatred so problematic? This issue stems beyond the unnatural, unwholesome, rotten things they put into their bodies. They, like the meat, dairy and egg industries, are addicted to power and oppression. These enslaving and murderous individuals and industries have turned animals into commodities: Sandwiches and shoes. They’ve victimized animals to such a degree they won’t even acknowledge that animals ARE victims.)

Many of the attacks on soy foods stem from simple misunderstandings of—or, in the extreme cases of Schlosser and Pollan, willful and outright misrepresentations of—legitimate studies of the effects of soy on human health. An excellent example of such a study is Soy and Health, published by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. This study is presented in full just below. As you peruse the study, note that these are not merely PCRM’s conclusions. These conclusions are amply documented, and are based on numerous studies published in well-established, widely respected medical journals that have no axe to grind with respect to either flesh-food eating or vegetarianism.

So relax, take a deep breath, and rest assured that not only are soy foods not harmful; they actually bestow many healthful benefits. If you’re STILL concerned that soy may cause you harm, keep in mind that mock meats made of soy or wheat do NOT have to be part of your diet. Meat substitutes are available largely because many meat, dairy, and egg-eaters are hopelessly addicted to the taste, smell and texture of animal flesh and the things that come out of animals. If you think you can beat the addiction, and get to the heart of veganism by consuming only fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, grains, and legumes, then more power to you!

Soy and Health

Soy foods have recently enjoyed increasing popularity. Soy foods include soybeans (also called edamame) and any other foods made from soybeans, including soymilk, tofu, tempeh, miso, and vegetarian meat and dairy substitutes, like soy meats and soy cheeses. Like most other plant foods, the most healthful choices in soy foods are those that are minimally processed so they retain all of their original nutrients. But because soy products are so widely consumed, some people have raised the question as to whether they are safe. Let’s take a look at what medical studies show:

Cancer Prevention and Survival

Epidemiological studies have found that soy protein may reduce the risk for cancers including breast, colon, and prostate.¹

Studies show that women who include soy products in their routine are less likely to develop breast cancer, compared with other women. In January 2008, researchers at the University of Southern California found that women averaging one cup of soymilk or about one-half cup of tofu daily have about a 30 percent less risk of developing breast cancer, compared with women who have little or no soy products in their diets.² However, to be effective, the soy consumption may have to occur early in life, as breast tissue is forming during adolescence.^3,4

What about women who have been previously diagnosed with breast cancer? A study in the Journal of the American Medical Association reported results based on 5,042 women previously diagnosed with breast cancer who were participating in the Shanghai Breast Cancer Survival Study over a four-year period. The study showed that women who regularly consumed soy products, such as soymilk, tofu, or edamame, had a 32 percent lower risk of recurrence and a 29 percent decreased risk of death, compared with women who consumed little or no soy.⁵ An accompanying editorial suggested that inconsistencies in prior research may be attributable to the comparatively low soy consumption in the United States, making beneficial effects harder to identify.⁶ In China, soy intake is higher and diets tend to include traditional food sources of soy, rather than soy supplements. Other studies have found that there was no effect or a favorable effect on breast tissue density in women consuming soy.⁷

Why should soy products reduce cancer risk? Most research has zeroed in on phytoestrogens found in soybeans. (Phyto means “plant.”) These compounds are in some ways similar to the estrogens (female sex hormones) in a woman’s bloodstream, but are much weaker. Some have suggested that they may keep estrogen levels under control as they can act both like a weak estrogen when body estrogen levels are low and can inhibit estrogen’s effects when body estrogen levels are high.⁸

By analogy, the estrogens in a woman’s body are like jumbo jets that have landed at an airport. Phytoestrogens are like small private planes that are occupying the Jetways, blocking the jumbo jets from attaching. This explanation is probably overly simplistic, but it may serve to illustrate how soy’s weak hormonal compounds can have beneficial effects.

Fertility

Other concerns include whether soy has a negative effect on reproductive health. However, studies in both men and women have shown that soy did not hinder reproduction.^9,10

Also, adults who had been fed soy infant formula as infants were found to have no difference in their reproductive health when compared with adults who had been fed cow’s milk formula.¹¹

Male Hormones

Although compounds in soy products have been likened to very weak female hormones, they have no adverse effects on men and may help prevent cancer in men. A meta-analysis to be published in Fertility and Sterility, based on more than 50 treatment groups, showed that neither soy foods nor isoflavone supplements from soy affect testosterone levels in men.¹² An analysis of 14 studies, published in theAmerican Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed that increased intake of soy resulted in a 26 percent reduction in prostate cancer risk.¹³ Researchers found a 30 percent risk reduction with nonfermented soy products such as soy milk and tofu.

Fibroids

Soy products may reduce the risk of fibroids, knots of muscle tissue that form within the thin muscle layer that lies beneath the uterine lining. A study of Japanese women found that the more soy women ate, the less likely they were to need a hysterectomy, suggesting that fibroids were less frequent.¹⁴ In a study of women in Washington State, soy did not seem to help or hurt, perhaps because American women eat very little soy, compared with their Japanese counterparts.¹⁵ What did have a big effect in this study werelignans, a type of phytoestrogens found in flaxseed and whole grains. The women consuming the highest amounts of these foods had less than half the risk of fibroids, compared with the women who generally skipped these foods. So, again, phytoestrogens seem beneficial, countering the effects of a woman’s natural estrogens, although in this case the benefit comes from foods other than soy.

Thyroid Health

Clinical studies show that soy products do not cause hypothyroidism.¹⁶ However, soy isoflavones may take up some of the iodine that the body would normally use to make thyroid hormone.¹⁷ The same is true of fiber supplements and some medications. In theory, then, people who consume soy might need slightly more iodine in their diets. (Iodine is found in many plant foods, especially in seaweed and iodized salt.) Soy products can also reduce the absorption of medicines used to treat hypothyroidism.¹⁶ People who use these medicines should check with their health care providers to see if their doses need to be adjusted.

Other Health Effects

Soy products appear to reduce low density lipoprotein (“bad”) cholesterol.¹⁸ They may also reduce the risk of osteoporosis-related hip fractures. In a study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology,women who consumed at least one-fourth cup of tofu per day, averaged a 30 percent reduction in fracture risk.¹⁹

Overnutrition

Soy products are typically high in protein. Some manufacturers have exploited this fact, packing isolated soy protein into shakes and turning it into meat substitutes. However, it may be prudent to avoid highly concentrated proteins from any source, including soy. It has long been known that cow’s milk increases the amount of insulin-like growth factor in the bloodstream,²⁰ and this compound is linked to higher cancer risk. Some evidence suggests that highly concentrated soy proteins (indicated as “soy protein isolate” on food labels) can do the same.²¹ Simple soy products, such as tempeh, edamame, or soynuts, are probably best choices.

Summary

Evidence to date indicates that soy products may reduce the risk of breast cancer and breast cancer recurrence. They do not appear to have adverse effects on the thyroid gland, but may reduce the absorption of thyroid medications. The benefits of soy products appear to relate to traditional soy products, not to concentrated soy proteins. 

References

¹Badger TM, Ronis MJ, Simmen RC, Simmen FA. Soy protein isolate and protection against cancer. J Am Coll Nutr. 2005;24(2):146S-149S.

²Wu AH, Yu MC, Tseng CC, Pike MC. Epidemiology of soy exposures and breast cancer risk. Br J Cancer.2008;98(1):9-14.

³Korde LA, Wu AH, Fears T, et al. Childhood soy intake and breast cancer risk in Asian American women.Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2009;18(4):1050-1059.

⁴Shu XO, Jin F, Dai Q, et al. Soyfood intake during adolescence and subsequent risk of breast cancer among Chinese women. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2001;10(5):483-488.

⁵Shu XO, Zheng Y, Cai H, et al. Soy food intake and breast cancer survival. JAMA. 2009;302(22):2437-2443.

⁶Ballard-Barbash R, Neuhouser ML. Challenges in design and interpretation of observational research on health behaviors and cancer survival. JAMA. 2009;302(22):2483-2484.

⁷Messina MJ, Loprinzi CL. Soy for breast cancer survivors: a critical review of the literature. J Nutr.2001;131(11 Suppl):3095S-3108S.

⁸Wiseman H, O’Reilly JD, Adlercreutz H, et al. Isoflavone phytoestrogens consumed in soy decrease F(2)-isoprostane concentrations and increase resistance of low-density lipoprotein to oxidation in humans. Am J Clin Nutr. 2000;72(2):395-400.

⁹Mitchell JH, Cawood E, Kinniburgh D, Provan A, Collins AR, Irvine DS. Effect of a phytoestrogen food supplement on reproductive health in normal males. Clin Sci (Lond). 2001;100(6):613-618.

¹⁰Kurzer MS. Hormonal effects of soy in premenopausal women and men. J Nutr. 2002;132(3):570S-573S.

¹¹Strom BL, Schinnar R, Ziegler EE, et al. Exposure to soy-based formula in infancy and endocrinological and reproductive outcomes in young adulthood. JAMA. 2001;286(7):807-814.

¹²Hamilton-Reeves JM, Vazquez G, Duval SJ, Phipps WR, Kurzer MS, Messina MJ. Clinical studies show no effects of soy protein or isoflavones on reproductive hormones in men: results of a meta-analysis. Fertil Steril. 2009.

¹³Yan L, Spitznagel EL. Soy consumption and prostate cancer risk in men: a revisit of a meta-analysis. Am J Clin Nutr. 2009;89(4):1155-1163.

¹⁴Nagata C, Takatsuka N, Kawakami N, Shimizu H. Soy product intake and premenopausal hysterectomy in a follow-up study of Japanese women. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2001;55(9):773-777.

¹⁵Atkinson C, Lampe JW, Scholes D, Chen C, Wahala K, Schwartz SM. Lignan and isoflavone excretion in relation to uterine fibroids: a case-control study of young to middle-aged women in the United States. Am J Clin Nutr. 2006;84(3):587-593.

¹⁶Messina M, Redmond G. Effects of soy protein and soybean isoflavones on thyroid function in healthy adults and hypothyroid patients: a review of the relevant literature. Thyroid. 2006;16(3):249-258.

¹⁷Divi RL, Chang HC, Doerge DR. Anti-thyroid isoflavones from soybean: isolation, characterization, and mechanisms of action. Biochem Pharmacol. 1997;54(10):1087-1096.

¹⁸Pipe EA, Gobert CP, Capes SE, Darlington GA, Lampe JW, Duncan AM. Soy protein reduces serum LDL cholesterol and the LDL cholesterol:HDL cholesterol and apolipoprotein B:apolipoprotein A-I ratios in adults with type 2 diabetes. J Nutr. 2009;139(9):1700-1706.

¹⁹Koh WP, Wu AH, Wang R, et al. Gender-specific associations between soy and risk of hip fracture in the Singapore Chinese Health Study. Am J Epidemiol. 2009;170(7):901-909.

²⁰Heaney RP, McCarron DA, Dawson-Hughes B, et al. Dietary changes favorably affect bone remodeling in older adults. J Am Diet Assoc. 1999;99(10):1228-1233.

²¹Dewell A, Weidner G, Sumner MD, et al. Relationship of dietary protein and soy isoflavones to serum IGF-1 and IGF binding proteins in the Prostate Cancer Lifestyle Trial. Nutr Cancer. 2007;58(1):35-42.

[via ADAPTT] — Gary Yourofsky