[Landos Mustache]

I love soya, and I do eat it when having veggie burgers and use soya milk in my cereal.

Even non veggies are eating it because it is in 60% of foods today.

Turns out it might not be so good for you....
http://www.guardian.co.uk/food/Story/0,,1828158,00.html

[scaught]

i've been veg- of some fashion for over 11 years. i've kind of been watching my soy intake if only because eating too much of anything just can't be that good for you. but ya, people have been suspicious of soy for a while, i've not felt any ill effects from it.

[Dakar]

*waits for the Doof*

[Landos Mustache]

Originally Posted by scaught

i've been veg- of some fashion for over 11 years. i've kind of been watching my soy intake if only because eating too much of anything just can't be that good for you. but ya, people have been suspicious of soy for a while, i've not felt any ill effects from it.

Well none that you can see at least. Heck you could have lowered your sperm count and not know it.

[scaught]

Originally Posted by Landos Mustache

Well none that you can see at least. Heck you could have lowered your sperm count and not know it.

i havent started growing man-boobs, and as far as the sperm count goes - FREE BONUS!

[andi*pandi]

interesting. I never knew how tofu was made, and it sounds like its all about the fermenting. How can you tell if your tofu is made correctly?

what's concerning is:

So the toxicologist began a systematic review of the scientific literature on soya. After finding out about the plant oestrogens in soya, Fitzpatrick says, "My next thought was: what about children who are fed soya milk?" He calculated that babies fed exclusively on soya formula could receive the oestrogenic equivalent, based on body weight, of five birth control pills a day.

[Chuckit]

Some study somewhere found something that could possibly contradict the vast wealth of nutritional knowledge? This has certainly never happened before.

Seriously, if I were to be swayed by every article like this ever written, I'd have to just go ahead and starve myself.

[Landos Mustache]

Originally Posted by Chuckit

Some study somewhere found something that could possibly contradict the vast wealth of nutritional knowledge? This has certainly never happened before.

Seriously, if I were to be swayed by every article like this ever written, I'd have to just go ahead and starve myself.

Not really. I don't think anyone has ever said it is super good for you and to eat lots of it.

The problem is it is cheap so it is being used everywhere.

[finboy]

Originally Posted by Chuckit

Some study somewhere found something that could possibly contradict the vast wealth of nutritional knowledge? This has certainly never happened before.

Seriously, if I were to be swayed by every article like this ever written, I'd have to just go ahead and starve myself.

The whole soy protein thing was pretty big a few years ago, resulting in changes in baby formula and aid programs. Soy "estrogen" is a reality, and I've known doctors to prescribe it to post-menopausal women. In addition, a diet high in soy isn't good for the prostate.

No hysteria, just facts.

[Doofy]

Originally Posted by Dakar

*waits for the Doof*

Heh.

I don't tend to do much soy, so not really thought about it. I do, however, generally cock a disgruntled eyebrow at the food industry in general.

[itai195]

Originally Posted by Chuckit

Seriously, if I were to be swayed by every article like this ever written, I'd have to just go ahead and starve myself.

You could eat celery!

[legacyb4]

As usual, it's the case of anything that's not done in moderation. Whatever happened to common sense and well balanced diets? We use miso, natto, and soy sauce on a fairly regular basis but too much of anything will kill you...

[Landos Mustache]

Originally Posted by legacyb4

As usual, it's the case of anything that's not done in moderation. Whatever happened to common sense and well balanced diets? We use miso, natto, and soy sauce on a fairly regular basis but too much of anything will kill you...

So would you call it a lot if it is in 60% of foods?

[itai195]

And here I was already worried to death about corn syrup being in everything

[legacyb4]

60% processed foods. If people are having trouble maintaining a diet that is less than 60% processed, my guess is that the soya issue is probably the least of their worries...

Originally Posted by Landos Mustache

So would you call it a lot if it is in 60% of foods?

[invisibleX]

Originally Posted by Landos Mustache

So would you call it a lot if it is in 60% of foods?

Depends what thats 60% of. 60% of all foods sold doesn't mean much.

[Oisín]

Originally Posted by andi*pandi

interesting. I never knew how tofu was made, and it sounds like its all about the fermenting.

Yup, it is. ‘Tofu’ means “rotten soy beans”, literally.

How can you tell if your tofu is made correctly?

It tastes god-awful if it’s not. There are different ways of making tofu (and different kinds of tofu), but if you get tofu that hasn’t been fermented enough—or tofu that’s been fermented too much—you’ll definitely know it by the gag reflexes you’ll be experiencing upon insertion into mouth.

[Spliff]

That is a very one-sided article.

[Spliff]

Originally Posted by finboy

In addition, a diet high in soy isn't good for the prostate.

No hysteria, just facts.

There are also studies showing that soy consumption is good for the prostate. So take your pick.

My policy is to eat everything in moderation . . .

Except for alcohol.

[Spliff]

A Sensible Part of Your Diet: The anti-soy argument
Messina, M., PhD. (2003, April). A sensible part of your diet: the anti-soy argument. Alive, 78.
Apr 22, 2003

Soy food consumption has increased markedly over the past 10 years, largely because of media coverage of research indicating soy may decrease risk of several chronic diseases including heart disease, osteoporosis, and breast and prostate cancer.

In addition, because it is a rich source of isoflavones (phytoestrogens), soy almost certainly alleviates menopausal symptoms. This is why soy is viewed as an alternative to conventional hormone replacement therapy.

Although a few less reputable manufacturers may make exaggerated claims, overall, the soy industry has been responsible in its promotional efforts, many of which are supported by recommendations from independent health agencies. The American Cancer Society includes soy consumption as one of seven steps to reduce prostate cancer risk. The National Cancer Institute classifies genistein (the main soybean isoflavone) as a key anti-cancer agent, and the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the American Heart Association both endorse soy protein for cholesterol reduction.

Perhaps though, the best way to appreciate the amount of scientific interest in soy and isoflavones is to cite the number of scientific papers published each year on these subjects. Currently, about 600 papers are published annually. Despite this volume, the Internet is filled with sites devoted to the alleged dangers of soy consumption. In my view, this information is inaccurate and represents selective use of scientific literature.

Soy foods have been consumed for centuries by some Asian populations. In awarding the health claim for cholesterol-lowering effects of soy protein, the FDA reviewed all safety issues related to soy consumption. Although there are more than 100 studies suggesting possible harm from eating soy, most of these are in vitro (cell studies) and animal studies, and this research actually represents only about one to two percent of all soy research published.

When any food is the subject of intense research, some small percentage of research will suggest potential harm. One has to look at the total evidence and place most emphasis on the results from human studies published in the peer-reviewed literature when making conclusions about safety and efficacy. Following is a brief discussion of some of the specific safety issues.

Thyroid: Seven well-designed clinical trials, including one that looked at the effects of isoflavone supplements, have found soy to have little or no impact on thyroid function in healthy adults.

Cognition: Three human trials have found that soy foods and isoflavone supplements improve certain aspects of cognition. It is too early to conclude that soy will reduce risk of dementia, but the evidence at this point is encouraging.

Testosterone and sperm count: Seven clinical trials have looked at the effects of soy foods or isoflavones on serum testosterone, and one of these looked at sperm count. None of the studies found any negative effects.

Estrogen and breast cancer: Most human studies show soy has either little effect or slightly decreases serum estrogen levels. Soy may modestly increase the length of the menstrual cycle, however. Both effects are seen as possibly reducing breast cancer risk, although most evidence suggests soy protects against breast cancer only if consumed when young. One 14-day study on soy caused changes that represent an increased breast cancer risk; however, the final results (published one year later) from this trial did not show this to be the case. Furthermore, a two-week study is too short to support clinical conclusions, as acknowledged by the authors of this study.

Soy is not a miracle food, but, in my view, it warrants a larger role in western diets. I recommend consuming about two servings per day, which in total provide about 15 grams of soy protein and 50 milligrams of isoflavones. At this intake, soy protein would still represent less than 20 percent of the total protein intake of western adults.

Mark Messina has a PhD in nutrition science, was formerly employed by the National Cancer Institute, and is currently an adjunct associate professor of nutrition at Loma Linda University and president of his own consulting company, Nutrition Matters, Inc. He has organized five international symposia on the health effects of soy foods, has given more than 300 presentations on soy to health professionals and consumers in 25 countries, and is the co-author of three books on soy and plant-based diets.

Messina, M., PhD. (2003, April). A sensible part of your diet: the anti-soy argument. Alive, 78.

File: A03AprilP78

Article: A Sensible Part of Your Diet: The anti-soy argument
Author: mark Messina, PhD
Pages: 78
Date: April 2003
Source: Alive magazine
Publisher: Alive Publishing Group, INC
Category: Soy/Isoflavones

[Ganesha]

1.3 Billion soy eating chinese...
300 million hamburger eating americans...

[pinktank]

Well, let's see, take by race, japanese are the most healthy, and most of their diet contains soya and its variants.

I wouldnt care about sperm count even if it octored(made up word for1/8th) as long as I can conceive.

It feels like an article of the meat and non soy industry

[andi*pandi]

well, if you read the article it's not complaining about traditional soy/tofu made the traditional way. It's saying that modern production methods are skimping on the fermentation, which is the process that gets rid of the bad parts. It's suggesting that unproperly processed soy is making its way into other, nonsoy, foods.

[Apple Pro Underwear]

i'll say the same thing I always do in these threads.

People smoke crack. People smoke marijuana. People drink liquor. People drive cars.

All of which don't cause instant death, but are bad for you. Cars will probably take you out in some fashion before Soy does.

[loki74]

Well it's about time that somebody admitted (and proved) that soy actually may have some downsides.

If you ask me, too many people have it in their heads that if anything is soy, it MUST be good and healthy, and this silly notion that the more you get, the better.

EVERYTHING has advantages, and disadvantages. Hell, wasn't there some study that showed that a small amount of red wine could help your heart? But we all know damn well what having too much of it will do to your liver (not to mention the rest of your body).

So yeah, soy has lots of advantages, but lets be realistic here--it has its disadvantages too, specifically if it is not fermented properly. Is that such a hard truth to face??