Busting Myths About Soy Health Risks

Soybeans are a traditionally nutritious food, yet so misunderstood! Urban legends abound about soy foods, which is why today I’m going to bust the myths about soy’s health risks.

Ah, soybeans. It’s an old traditional health food in many cultures, but it’s highly maligned in the United States! When I speak in public, I am sure to be asked about the risks of eating soy in a healthy plant-based diet. In fact, soybeans are one of the most extensively studied foods of all time and one of nature’s most perfect foods. One cup of cooked soybeans contains 57% DV of protein, 41% DV of fiber, 49% DV of iron, 18% DV of calcium, 1,029 mg of omega-3, at least 18% of the DV of 12 other essential vitamins and minerals, and other phytochemicals Substances (saponins, plant sterols and isoflavones). In addition, numerous studies show that eating more soy foods has health benefits. Despite these health benefits, myths and urban legends about soy still abound. When entered into a Google search, “soy danger” yields 1,200,000 results. Why is this so? That’s what I’m going to reveal today as I bust 5 myths about soy.

You can find many pseudo-experts on the internet and social media promoting the dangers of eating soy. Paleo Leap calls soy “a particularly bad source of calories” and claims it can disrupt your thyroid, metabolism and hormone levels. On YouTube you can find “nutritional experts” calling soy “dangerous and inflammatory garbage.” The Weston A. Price Foundation calls soy “extremely toxic” and claims it causes premature sexual development in girls and stunted growth in boys. So, with all this conflicting information, what is the truth behind soy?

What are soy foods?

Soybeans were first cultivated in China in 1100 B.C. and have been consumed daily by people in Asia for centuries. In Japan, a country with low rates of breast and prostate cancer and long lifespans, it is incorporated into daily diets. Even outside the Asian community, vegetarians have relied on this high-quality protein for decades, and most scientific research now links soy to lower cholesterol, lower risk of heart disease, possibly fewer hot flashes, and lower risk of breast cancer. and prostate cancer. Eating soy is one of many reasons why vegetarians are, on average, in better health than meat eaters. So, with so much information to understand and digest, let’s start by looking at some of the worst soy myths today that fuel fears about eating soy. While you’re reading, check out this interview with Mark Messina where we talk about soy and health.

5 myths busted about soy health risks

Myth 1: Soy causes breast cancer

This stems from confusion about phytoestrogens and past research, which has contributed to fears about breast cancer among both general consumers and health care professionals. From a scientific perspective, estrogen is associated with an increased risk of breast cancer due to the presence of estrogen receptors in breast tissue. When estrogen suddenly increases, it promotes the development of breast tumors. In the 1990s, researchers raised questions about soy and phytoestrogens through animal experiments, with mixed results. An important fact to note is that phytoestrogens are not estrogens and act very differently in the human body than estrogen.

There are several ways to use your diet to help reduce your risk of cancer, and according to the American Cancer Society, one of them is to eat whole soy foods because they are anti-inflammatory and provide antioxidant properties that can reduce cancer growth. In fact, isoflavones are one of several phytochemicals found in soy that may help reduce cancer risk. Research in laboratory, animal, and human observational studies suggests that soy may reduce the risk of cancer, including breast, prostate, ovarian, and uterine cancer, while a large study of women who consumed high amounts of soy foods showed that Lower risk of breast and endometrial cancer.

Research shows that isoflavones prevent the more potent natural estrogens from binding to any estrogen receptors, block the formation of estrogen in fat tissue, and stimulate the production of proteins that bind to estrogen in the blood. A recent study in Breast Cancer Treatment found that women in Asian countries, which consume the highest amounts of soy isoflavones, had a 24% lower risk of breast cancer, based on data from 14 studies.While cancer protection needs to be confirmed in human clinical trials, human studies sponsored by National Cancer Institute In progress. Some studies suggest that the effect of soy on breast cancer risk depends on the age at which soy is consumed. High soy intake in young women may offer protection when breast tissue is developing and estrogen levels are high.

Currently, there are two stances on soybean consumption: artificial intelligence CR points out that soy foods are safe in moderate amounts—even for breast cancer survivors, and that women can consume one to two servings per day (some studies suggest even up to three servings).this ACS state that moderate consumption is safe for cancer prevention and breast cancer survivors, although they recommend whole soy foods rather than supplements. A serving of soybeans contains an average of 7 grams of protein and 25 milligrams of isoflavones.

Myth #2: Soy is not sustainable

There is a lot of debate around this issue genetically modified organismsand modern agriculture, which affects soybean’s reputation among consumers.However, most soy foods are notgenetically modified organisms, including soy milk and dairy alternatives, tofu, tempeh and edamame. The U.S. Department of Commerce calculates that U.S. soy protein production for human consumption is slightly less than 1% of total soy production, with the remainder primarily used for animal feed (excluding entire non-soy protein).genetically modified organisms Soybeans used in the production of other products such as soy milk, tofu, and edamame, as this data was not collected). aeronautics and space administration-2 found that vegans have a carbon footprint 42% lower than non-vegetarians, vegetarians 28% lower, pescatarians 24% lower, semi-vegetarians about 20% lower, and expert working group The Meat Eater’s Guide compared 20 different foods and found that tofu has far fewer health effects. geologistthan other animal proteins such as lamb and beef. This shows that animals are inefficient producers of protein, while soybeans are more efficient in terms of energy, water and land use.

Myth #3: Soy is bad for the planet

As freshwater resources become stressed and food production suffers, food yields will be measured by the amount of water required to produce high-quality protein. Soybeans are the more efficient source of protein per cubic meter of water in production, and considering the amount of fossil energy inputs required to produce soybeans (e.g., fuel, fertilizers, pesticides, transportation), soybean foods provide the largest number of calories and per unit of fossil fuel input The highest protein density in the amount consumed by humans.

Myth #4: Soy Feminizes Men

According to a study conducted by Fertil Steril, numerous human studies have shown that men who consumed 40 to 70 mg of soy isoflavones from 1 to 2 servings of soy foods or soy supplements daily experienced no significant changes in testosterone levels. People who eat large amounts of soy foods did not show an increased incidence of fertility problems, and an analysis of 14 studies in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition showed that increasing soy intake was associated with a 26% reduction in prostate cancer risk.