The Dark Side of Soy?
Posted by adagio on Jun 12, 2006 · Member since Aug 2005 · 228 posts
I was greatly interested to find this article whilst 'googling' for information regarding soymilk, as it relates to pregnancy. Fascinating, I thought. I had no idea that the 'benefits of soy' was such a hotly debated topic.
http://www.mothering.com/articles/growing_child/food/soy_story.html
cheers!
adagio
As they say, always check out the motivation of those doing the research. Daniel is a board member of the Weston Price Foundation, a group that advocates eating animals.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weston_A._Price_Foundation
I encourage anyone interested to read the criticisms of the article and the organization.
I agree that natural foods are better than processed ones and that any food that one eats should be consumed in moderation. But any article that sensational warrants a great deal of skepticism.
hi robinmc. i would not have described the article as sensational. it has simply provided me with food for thought. i regularly consume soymilk and tofu and therefore welcome another perspective, insofar as the benefit, or not, of doing so.
while i agree that the author's interests may well predispose her to bias, and probably does, to my mind that does not automatically negate everything she has written. but thankyou, for the wikipedia link. i had never heard of the weston price foundation.
cheers!
adagio
Hello! I would not agree with the point the article makes thst "Asians eat very little soy". I recently read in a totally unrelated article about world hunger that China consumes 50% of the soybean production in the world.
Surely that should translate into many many glasses of soymilk and blocks of tofu per person, what you think? 8)
Soy is very controversal.
What is interesting is the claim "you don't hear very much bad about soy" because of clever marketing, etc. However, the same can be said about the dairy industry which has virtually all MDs and health care interests convinced children have to have milk in order to grow strong teeth and bones and prevent osteopororis, when in fact the high protein in milk tends to negate those effects. Which is why Americans are one of the top 4 dairy eaters in the world and are among the top 4 highest rates of osteoporosis.
It's also amusing that study after study after study confirms the saturated fat in dairy and meat kills. So much so we are immune to that fact. Yet one study comes out with negative implications about soy and people are all over it.
There may indeed be concerns about soy, and some of it's health claims may not be true, such as lowering cholesterol. However, some of the negative studies haven't been replicated either. It's just not good science to go around publishing a few studies and negate the hundreds of studies that show soy to be healthful or at the very least not harmful.
However, their are studies that have been replicated that soy may exacerbate thyriod conditions in those with known problems. However it does not cause thyroid problems.
I'm still going to look to the Asians, particularly the Japanese, and particularly the Okinawans in Japan, who eat an soy daily and enjoy the longest lifespan on Earth. They enjoy low rates of certain cancers like breast and prostate. Their menopause is so mild there is no Japanese word equivalent to "hot flashes" as they don't get them.
While the verdict may be out, while they may be concerns, I think soy is a superfood. Not vital to survival because really nothing is. However, for this vegetarian, there is no way I would be vegetarian without soy.
Tweety, I really like the way you express yourself. Just to let you know.
Thanks sweetness. That was my 100th post. At least it was me expressing an important opinion. LOL
http://www.foodrevolution.org/mothering.htm
Granted the above is from a noted Vegan activist, however there are always two sides to the story. They even mentioned the Japanese like I mentioned above, that was cool when I read that. :)
thankyou tweety, for your intelligent response. and for the link, which i shall read.
Happy 100! I'm almost there...
That's nothing at a nursing message board I have over 24,000 posts. I'm much more chatty there!
i found the article enlightening tweety. and refer especially to the okinawa research. so, i shall investigate further while continuing to drink soymilk and eat tofu, both of which i am very fond of. thankyou.
I think that's wise. It's always best to ask questions and do more research rather than jump on a bandwagon that might be flawed and full of inaccuracies and myths.
Too much of anything isn't good for you. Variety is the key.