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SOY'S HEALTH BENEFITS BEGINNING TO BE QUESTIONED
Alternet - In 2000 the American Heart Association gave soy the thumbs up and the FDA proclaimed: "Diets low in saturated fat and cholesterol that include 25 grams of soy protein a day may reduce the risk of heart disease." Over the course of the last decade medical professionals have touted its benefits in fighting not just cardiovascular disease, but cancers, osteoporosis and diabetes.
But soy's glory days may be coming to an end. New research is questioning its health benefits and even pointing out some potential risks. Although definitive evidence may be many years down the road, the American Heart Association has quietly withdrawn its support. And some groups are waging an all-out war, warning that soy can lead to certain kinds of cancers, lowered testosterone levels, and early-onset puberty in girls.
Most of the soy eaten today is also genetically modified, which may pose another set of health risks. The environmental implications of soy production, including massive deforestation, increased use of pesticides and threats to water and soil, are providing more fodder for soy's detractors. . .
It's been cultivated, starting in China, for 3,000 years. While Asian diets have generally included soy it has been in small amounts eaten fermented -- primarily via miso, natto and tempeh. "Fermenting soy creates health-promoting probiotics, the good bacteria our bodies need to maintain digestive and overall wellness," wrote Vance. "By contrast, in the United States, processed soy food snacks or shakes can contain over 20 grams of non-fermented soy protein in one serving."
It's not that all soy is bad; in fact, eating it in small doses can be quite healthy, if it's fermented. But when it's not, that's where the problems begin.
But soy's glory days may be coming to an end. New research is questioning its health benefits and even pointing out some potential risks. Although definitive evidence may be many years down the road, the American Heart Association has quietly withdrawn its support. And some groups are waging an all-out war, warning that soy can lead to certain kinds of cancers, lowered testosterone levels, and early-onset puberty in girls.
Most of the soy eaten today is also genetically modified, which may pose another set of health risks. The environmental implications of soy production, including massive deforestation, increased use of pesticides and threats to water and soil, are providing more fodder for soy's detractors. . .
It's been cultivated, starting in China, for 3,000 years. While Asian diets have generally included soy it has been in small amounts eaten fermented -- primarily via miso, natto and tempeh. "Fermenting soy creates health-promoting probiotics, the good bacteria our bodies need to maintain digestive and overall wellness," wrote Vance. "By contrast, in the United States, processed soy food snacks or shakes can contain over 20 grams of non-fermented soy protein in one serving."
It's not that all soy is bad; in fact, eating it in small doses can be quite healthy, if it's fermented. But when it's not, that's where the problems begin.
7 Comments:
Funny that doufu/tofu has been a staple in the Chinese diet for more than 2000 years, is made and sold in multiple non-fermented forms, and is eaten by the block.
Oh, and it's been a staple in Japan for about 1300 years.
Wouldn't you think that all these Asians chowing down would have noticed something wrong, it there were anything wrong?
The biggest threat is Frankensoy, not soy.
Re Soy: I'm around a lot of old Chinese people, and they're a pretty demented lot.
The Russians aren't so good either, maybe there's a potato problem. Although they take it fermented.
China is loaded with quack cures and superstition. No, they may not have noticed anything wrong.
The techniques of modern soy production are of legitimate concern. Between 80% and 90% of the soy cultivated in the world today is genetically modified soy. The modification allows the soy to survive bombardments of herbicide. Prior to planting a soy crop, all existing vegetation in the field is killed with an application of herbicide. The soy seed is later sown into the ground using the no till method of drilling. Throughout the growth cycle of the plant herbicide will be applied multiple times. To assure maximum germination rates, seed has been saturated with a combination of fungicides and pesticides. The pesticides used are of the neonicotinoid type. Neonicotinoids are supposed to have short term persistence in soil. However, it isn't exactly working out that way. Levels of neonicotinoid contamination are being found in the pollen of mature plants. Neonicotinoids act on the central nervous system. In insects, they cause disruption of normal behavior patterns which eventually disrupt the ability to reproduce. Bees are acutely sensitive to its effects, and it is believed that neonicotinoids may be a significant factor in the recent epidemic of colony collapse disorder. As a result of this, the pesticide has been banned in many European countries. However, outside of those few European nations, business goes on as usual. Happy eating.
A study of older men in Indonesia who ate lots of tofu (unfermented) for breakfast every day showed much higher levels of dementia and Alzheimer's than that found in those who did not eat tofu or those who ate only fermented soy products like tempeh, stinky tofu, soy sauce, and miso. (A link to this information can be found in the Wikipedia entry on tofu if you look carefully.)
For those using the long history of tofu consumption in China and Japan as counterexamples, I would suggest that in both those countries, at least as much fermented soy is consumed as unfermented, creating a better balance than the vegans in the US get from eating dozens of unfermented tofu products.
http://www.bonappetit.com/magazine/2009/08/is_soy_healthy
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