Read this BEFORE you eat one more veggie burger, take one more soy supplement, drink one more glass of soy milk.
Dear Health-Conscious Friend:
Nowadays you’ll have no problem finding soy products at your local grocery store. Soy milk, soy cheese, soy meat balls, soy infant formula, even soy ice cream line the shelves. And, while 10 short years ago it would hardly have seemed possible, today soy products have nearly achieved mainstream acceptance.
And it’s healthy, right?
Actually, the answer is more complicated than you think. And the truth? It might just shock you. Did you know an infant fed soy formula is getting the hormonal equivalent of five birth control pills per day. Even after rigorous chemical processing, soy contains substances that can possibly cause breast cancer, serious nutritional deficiencies, and even accelerated brain aging!
Two of the FDA’s own experts warn that the safety concerns regarding soy are still “largely unanswered.”
Is soy protein a kind of Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde?
But like Dr. Jekyl’s flip personality, soy has a dark and possibly dangerous side that few people know about.
To start, unlike other legumes, soybeans aren’t safe to eat when picked fresh. They’re actually toxic. And in laboratory tests in animals, soybeans have been shown to cause everything from cancer to birth defects.
In order to remove the harmful toxins mentioned above, manufacturers must use harsh chemical processing. The beans are subject to acid baths and extreme heat, then they’re spray dried to produce a high-protein powder. Next, to improve the taste of the soy powder, artificial flavorings such as MSG, preservatives, sweeteners, emulsifiers and synthetic nutrients are added.
But manufacturers don’t stop there…
Carcinogens, called nitrites, are also added to soy products during the spray drying process. These harmful chemicals are found in hot dogs and other fast foods… and they’ve been known since the dark ages to cause cancer. Plus, after all that…
Despite nearly a 1/2 bffiion dollars in funding, nobody’s figured out how to remove all the toxins from soybeans
That’s right. There’s not enough money in the world that can make soybeans as safe to eat as black beans.
The problem is, manufacturers can’t get rid of all of the soybean’s natural toxins. One especially dangerous toxin, called a trypsin inhibitor, can interfere with digestion and could theoretically cause cancer in humans And, it’s been proven to slow the growth of rats in laboratory tests.
The big question still looming for experts is… does it inhibit growth in children?
Scientists can’t say for sure yet. But it makes you worry doesn’t it? And, as a parent, I imagine you want “both sides” of the soy story, all the available hard facts, before pouring that soy milk onto your kid’s cereal! Postmenopausal women who eat soy may be at greater risk for osteoporosis.
Processed soy powder also contains residual phytic acid; a substance experts luiow blocks the absorption of calcium, magnesium, zinc, and other essential minerals in the intestinal tract.
In feeding experiments, a soy-based diet requires supplementation with vitamins E, K, D, B’2, and creates significant DEFICIENCIES in copper, iron, zinc, magnesium, and calcium. This revelation is especially important for postmenopausal woman. By eating quantities of soy, you could be putting yourself at risk for serious nutritional deficiencies and osteoporosis. But that’s not the only concern for women eating soy…
Researchers have linked soy to an early form of breast cancer
You may have heard that eating soy can protect you from developing breast cancer. There’s re-: search to say that’s so! But, to quote a famous commentator: “Here’s the rest of the story!”
In one significant study completed in 1996, researchers found that women who ate soy protein had an increased incidence of epithelial hyperplasia, an early form of malignancy. A year later, a chemical found in soy was shown to encourage breast cells to metastasize.
Does that mean soy causes some breast cancers? Well, again, no one can say for sure. But until scientists figure it all out, it’s important for women to know about the potentially serious downsides. And believe it or not, that’s not all there is to know about soy…
You can get as much “estrogen” eating soy protein as taking the birth control pill
You may have heard that soy contains beneficial substances called isoflavones.
They’re thought to improve symptoms associated with menopause. But isoflavones can also wreak havoc on your hormonal system.
Here’s how…
One hundred grams of soy protein daily, the amount recommended by a national soy organization, provides the estrogenic equivalent of taking the birth control pill. If you’re having symptoms of menopause, you’ll likely reduce them with this hormonal boost from “soy estrogen.”
But not so fast. You might be getting more than you bargain for…
In 1991, Japanese researchers found that as little as two teaspoons of soy protein a day caused goiter and hyperthyroidism in some patients. lsoflavones were believed to be the culprit.
Isoflavones are also thought to cause all sorts of problems in infants. In fact, an infant who is fed soy formula is getting the estrogenic equivalent of five birth control pills a day. Some experts believe this excess estrogen can lead to thyroid problems, learning disabilities, and even premature sexual development.
That’s a disturbing possibility, considering that nearly 1/2 of all boftle fed babies in the U.S. receive soy formula.
Recent research ties two or more servings a week of tofu with “accelerated brain aging”
One of the most shocicing discoveries about soy came to light at the Third International Soy Symposium in 1999. On the last day of the symposium, one researcher presented his three-decade long study of Japanese-Americans living in Hawaii.
It showed a significant statistical relationship between eating two or more servings of tofu a week and “accelerated brain aging.”
Individuals who ate this amount of tofu in midlife had lower cognitive function later in life and a greater incidence of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. Again, researchers believed isoflavones were the offenders.
Many of these findings were confirmed by Dr. Daniel Dorge of the Division of Biochemical Toxicology at the National Center for Toxicological Research, who is one of the nation’s top soy researchers and Daniel Sheehan. (Ref. Also “Tru Health” Carotec, Inc. newsletter, Tom Valentine.)
Reprinted from The Pathlighter, published by a Florida chapter of International Association of Cancer Victors and Friends.
