By
The Weston A. Price Foundation
The
Weston A. Price Foundation provides accurate information about nutrition and is
dedicated to putting nutrient-dense foods back on American tables.
Members
receive a lively and informative quarterly journal and email updates on current
issues and website events. Visit their at www.westonaprice.org.
Are
you confused about soy? The Weston A. Price Foundation has compiled a list of
soy dangers and myths to get the truth out once and for all.
Soy
Dangers Summarized
High
levels of phytic acid in soy reduce assimilation of calcium, magnesium, copper,
iron and zinc. Phytic acid in soy is not neutralized by ordinary preparation
methods such as soaking, sprouting, and long, slow cooking, but only with long
fermentation. High-phytate diets have caused growth problems in children.
Trypsin
inhibitors in soy interfere with protein digestion and may cause pancreatic
disorders. In test animals, soy containing trypsin inhibitors caused stunted
growth.
Soy
phytoestrogens disrupt endocrine function and have the potential to cause
infertility and to promote breast cancer in adult women.
Soy
phytoestrogens are potent anti-thyroid agents that cause hypothyroidism and may
cause thyroid cancer. In infants, consumption of soy formula has been linked to
autoimmune thyroid disease.
Vitamin
B12 analogs in soy are not absorbed and actually increase the body's
requirement for B12.
Soy
foods increase the body's requirement for Vitamin D. Toxic synthetic Vitamin D2
is added to soy milk.
Fragile
proteins are over-denatured during high temperature processing to make soy
protein isolate and textured vegetable protein.
Processing
of soy protein results in the formation of toxic lysinoalanine and highly
carcinogenic nitrosamines.
Free
glutamic acid or MSG, a potent neurotoxin, is formed during soy food processing
and additional amounts are added to many soy foods to mask soy's unpleasant
taste.
Soy
foods contain high levels of aluminum, which is toxic to the nervous system and
the kidneys.
Myths
and Truths About Soy
Here
we dispel the myths of the "Diet Dictocrats" and reveal the
scientific validity behind our wise ancestors' nutrient-dense diets.
Myth:
Use of soy as a food dates back many thousands of years.
Truth:
Soy was first used as a food during the late Chou dynasty (1134-246 BC), only
after the Chinese learned to ferment soybeans to make foods like tempeh, natto,
and tamari.
Myth:
Asians consume large amounts of soy foods.
Truth:
Average consumption of soy foods in Japan and China is 10 grams (about 2
teaspoons) per day. Asians consume soy foods in small amounts as a condiment,
and not as a replacement for animal foods.
Myth:
Modern soy foods confer the same health benefits as traditionally fermented soy
foods.
Truth:
Most modern soy foods are not fermented to neutralize toxins in soybeans, and
are processed in a way that denatures proteins and increases levels of
carcinogens.
Myth:
Soy foods provide complete protein.
Truth:
Like all legumes, soybeans are deficient in sulfur-containing amino acids
methionine and cystine. In addition, modern processing denatures fragile
lysine.
Myth:
Fermented soy foods can provide vitamin B12 in vegetarian diets.
Truth:
The compound that resembles vitamin B12 in soy cannot be used by the human
body. In fact, soy foods cause the body to require more B12.
Myth:
Soy formula is safe for infants.
Truth:
Soy foods contain trypsin inhibitors that inhibit protein digestion and affect
pancreatic function. In test animals, diets high in trypsin inhibitors led to
stunted growth and pancreatic disorders. Soy foods increase the body's
requirement for vitamin D, needed for strong bones and normal growth.
Phytic
acid in soy foods results in reduced bioavailabilty of iron and zinc, which are
required for the health and development of the brain and nervous system. Soy
also lacks cholesterol, likewise essential for the development of the brain and
nervous system.
Megadoses
of phytoestrogens in soy formula have been implicated in the current trend
toward increasingly premature sexual development in girls and delayed or
retarded sexual development in boys.
Myth:
Soy foods can prevent osteoporosis.
Truth:
Soy foods can cause deficiencies in calcium and vitamin D, both needed for
healthy bones. Calcium from bone broths and vitamin D from seafood, lard and
organ meats prevent osteoporosis in Asian countries—not soy foods.
Myth:
Modern soy foods protect against many types of cancer.
Truth:
A British government report concluded that there is little evidence that soy
foods protect against breast cancer or any other forms of cancer. In fact, soy
foods may result in an increased risk of cancer.
Myth:
Soy foods protect against heart disease.
Truth:
In some people, consumption of soy foods will lower cholesterol, but there is
no evidence that lowering cholesterol with soy protein improves one's risk of
having heart disease.
Myth:
Soy estrogens (isoflavones) are good for you.
Truth:
Soy isoflavones are phyto-endocrine disrupters. At dietary levels, they can
prevent ovulation and stimulate the growth of cancer cells. Eating as little as
30 grams (about 4 tablespoons) of soy per day can result in hypothyroidism with
symptoms of lethargy, constipation, weight gain and fatigue.
Myth:
Soy foods are safe and beneficial for women to use in their postmenopausal
years.
Truth:
Soy foods can stimulate the growth of estrogen-dependent tumors and cause
thyroid problems. Low thyroid function is associated with difficulties in
menopause.
Myth:
Phytoestrogens in soy foods can enhance mental ability.
Truth:
A recent study found that women with the highest levels of estrogen in their
blood had the lowest levels of cognitive function; In Japanese–Americans, tofu
consumption in mid-life is associated with the occurrence of Alzheimer's
disease in later life.
Myth:
Soy isoflavones and soy protein isolate have GRAS (Generally Recognized as
Safe) status.
Truth:
Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) recently withdrew its application to the FDA for
GRAS status for soy isoflavones following an outpouring of protest from the
scientific community. The FDA never approved GRAS status for soy protein
isolate because of concern regarding the presence of toxins and carcinogens in
processed soy.
Myth:
Soy foods are good for your sex life.
Truth:
Numerous animal studies show that soy foods cause infertility in animals. Soy
consumption enhances hair growth in middle-aged men, indicating lowered
testosterone levels.
Myth:
Soybeans are good for the environment.
Truth:
Most soybeans grown in the US are genetically engineered to allow farmers to
use large amounts of herbicides.
Myth:
Soybeans are good for developing nations.
Truth:
In third-world countries, soybeans replace traditional crops and transfer the
value-added of processing from the local population to multinational
corporations.
Soy
Infant Formula: Birth Control Pills for Babies
Babies
fed soy-based formula have 13,000 to 22,000 times more estrogen compounds in
their blood than babies fed milk-based formula. Infants exclusively fed soy
formula receive the estrogenic equivalent of at least four birth control pills
per day.
Male
infants undergo a testosterone surge during the first few months of life, when
testosterone levels may be as high as those of an adult male. During this
period, baby boys are programmed to express male characteristics after puberty,
not only in the development of their sexual organs and other masculinity
traits, but also in setting patterns in the brain characteristic of male
behavior.
In
animals, studies indicate that phytoestrogens in soy are powerful endocrine
disrupters. Soy infant feeding -- which floods the bloodstream with female
hormones that inhibit testosterone -- cannot be ignored as a possible cause of
disrupted development patterns in boys, including learning disabilities and
attention deficit disorder.
Male
children exposed to DES, a synthetic estrogen, had testes smaller than normal
on maturation and infant marmoset monkeys fed soy isoflavones had a reduction
in testosterone levels up to 70 percent compared to milk-fed controls.
Almost
15 percent of white girls and 50 percent of African-Americans girls show signs
of puberty, such as breast development and pubic hair, before the age of eight.
Some girls are showing sexual development before the age of three. Premature
development of girls has been linked to the use of soy formula and exposure to
environmental estrogen-mimickers such as PCBs and DDE. Intake of phytoestrogens
even at moderate levels during pregnancy can have adverse affects on the
developing fetus and the timing of puberty later in life.
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