Saturday, October 9, 2010

Soy Controversy

The Claim about Men and Soy:
If Men truly became impotent or infertile from eating soy, then Why does Japan and China have one of the LARGEST populations on Earth? Obviously, their soy was spiked with infertility drugs!

The Claim:
Quote from Mrs. Gurd, [Full article: The soy controversy | Trusted.MD Network http://trusted.md/blog/vreni_gurd/2007/03/24/the_soy_controversy#ixzz11ug9Nw14]

"Like all grains, legumes, nuts and seeds, soybeans have a phytate layer to stop the beans from sprouting unless there is adequate moisture and warmth. The phytate layer in soybeans is much thicker than in other grains and legumes and cannot be eliminated with soaking, sprouting or long slow cooking. This means that soybeans are very difficult to digest, and the phytic acid reduces assimilation of calcium, magnesium copper, iron and zinc."
The Truth: 
1) If this were true, then Japan and other Asianic countries would have an extremely high amount of people with osteoporosis because they would NOT get the calcium they needed. They consume more soy per meal then we Westerners consume per day. And, if you are on a typical Scandinavian diet, the Japanese would consume more soy in a typical day, then you would in a typical week.


2) ALL Vegans and Vegetarians who take in lots of soy would be low in Calcium, Magnesium, copper, Iron and Zinc. And, would be low in Protein. Thats because supposedly, we can't digest soy protein. This is a pile of lies! My protein is quite high, thank you very much and its because of the Tofu I eat. Also, my calcium is very good. My bone density was SO good, that the tester was questioning why I was even being tested! I was being tested because I ate lots of soy, and supposedly, soy prevents me from digesting calcium. Plus, I'm allergic to milk, so avoided milk at all cost. This was at a time when I did NOT eat Broccoli or other vegetables high in Calcium. I also avoided other dairy. I only got my calcium from Soy Milk, and occasionally, from Kraft's parmesan cheese. 2 Tablespoons worth of it.

3) MOST research is done on lab rats. We are not rats. Also, they give rats more soy per body weight than what we eat per our own body weight. Mustard causes cancer? Have you heard about that? I don't remember now who did the research, but this study was before 1983. But in science class, we were taught that they fed the rats lots of mustard and more mustard than you and I would eat in a typical mustard filled week. They might not have been given a balanced diet either. This I don't quite remember. The only harm mustard is going to do, is possibly an allergic reaction in me, due to a severe sensitivity. It won't cause cancer in me any more than Soy will. Colon cancer does run in my family too.

Another quote from the SAME article:
"Soy interferes with protein digestion, and the soy estrogens are endocrine disruptors, (by binding with estrogen receptors) potentially creating fertility problems and breast or uterine cancer in women, and reducing testosterone in men. These soy phytoestrogens also are anti-thyroid agents, causing sluggish thyroids, possibly thyroid cancer, and weight gain."

If this were really true, my thyroid medicine would NOT be working properly, and I'd have to go up on my synthyroid. This is because I consume LOTS of soy. By lots, I mean, I drink 3 glasses of soy milk a day. In addition, I often put soy milk in my rice (and usually a full glass per serving of rice). And, I eat Tofu - 1/4 a package per day, on average. Also, if I wasn't digesting protein, my hair would NOT be growing as quickly as it is, for a 45 year old. Its growing like I'm 35 year old!  And, with breast cancer? I'm sorry! My friend was allergic to soy and dairy. She avoided both like the plague. She ended up with Breast cancer. I didn't. I eat soy like it was going out of style and would be banned tomorrow. I do not have breast cancer and show no signs of a possibility of breast cancer. 
Furthermore, Japan and other Asian countries who consume large amounts of soy, should see a huge amount of breast cancer in their women MORE than what we have in Western countries. Here is the truth, from Nation Master . [They got their information from the  World Health Organization ]
Notice that Japan is at the BOTTOM of the list And Iceland, a country that does NOT eat a lot of soy, is at the top! Even the USA, with "soy" supposedly in everything we eat, only made it to number 17!


QUOTE:
# 1   Iceland: 39.4 per 100,000 females 
# 2   Denmark: 30.4 per 100,000 females 
= 3   Netherlands: 28.7 per 100,000 females 
= 3   Belgium: 28.7 per 100,000 females 
# 5   New Zealand: 28 per 100,000 females 
# 6   Ireland: 27.5 per 100,000 females 
# 7   Hungary: 26.6 per 100,000 females 
# 8   United Kingdom: 26 per 100,000 females 
# 9   Germany: 23.5 per 100,000 females 
# 10   Canada: 22.6 per 100,000 females 
# 11   Czech Republic: 22.2 per 100,000 females 
# 12   Italy: 22 per 100,000 females 
# 13   France: 21.7 per 100,000 females 
# 14   Australia: 21.6 per 100,000 females 
# 15   Austria: 21.5 per 100,000 females 
# 16   Norway: 21.3 per 100,000 females 
# 17   United States: 21.2 per 100,000 females 
# 18   Luxembourg: 21 per 100,000 females 
# 19   Spain: 19.5 per 100,000 females 
# 20   Portugal: 19.3 per 100,000 females 
# 21   Slovakia: 19.2 per 100,000 females 
# 22   Sweden: 18.5 per 100,000 females 
# 23   Finland: 18.1 per 100,000 females 
# 24   Poland: 17.9 per 100,000 females 
# 25   Greece: 16.8 per 100,000 females 
# 26   Japan: 8.6 per 100,000 females 

END QUOTE



Also, I'd be hard pressed to find a majority of women with breast cancer who dranked soy milk on  a regular basis. This country is pro-cows milk, and pro-meat, chicken, and fish. And, they like to serve meat here, potatoes here, and corn there. Sure, we do eat more processed foods. However if soy was really bad, then, why don't a majority of Vegans and Vegetarians have Breast Cancer? Why don't the women who survive on processed foods containing soy have more Breast Cancer?

Lastly MOST of the Asian women would have breast cancer, because they have soy in almost everything. However, like I said earlier, Japan is at the bottom of the list. Soy is most things they eat.

Of course, if you are going to do Soy right, you would eat only Organic Soy products. Why not? Organic is the only way to eat if you really care about health. So the argument that soy contain GMO is nuts! If you eat the heavily processed crap that non-health companies sell, then of course you are going to have issues! Non Organic Foods is laden with pesticides. Lets face it. If you are getting cancer from soy, its not the Organic soy. Its the pesticide laden soy found in trace amounts in tuna, soups, chips, and everything else that is highly processed and not found in the Organic aisles at grocery stores. 

Bottom Line: Soy is safe! All this 'lies' about how dangerous soy is, is a bunch of scare tactics just to get you to buy junky processed foods. And, with anything, if you aren't going to consume it in moderation, you will have health issues. That is true for meat, chicken, pork, fish, potatoes, and any other vegetable and food item you can mention. We are built to have a wide variety of foods in moderation.

Another article on the subject, also concludes that soy is safe. 


  Soy Controversy    also  Phytotherapy, same website

Please read the articles at those links, especially the blue boxed info on the phytotherapy page, as they do provide some additional information. A Quote from the Phytotherapy article's blue boxed area, by Marcelle Pick, OB/GYN NP,
"The word phytoestrogen literally means “plant estrogen.” But phytoestrogens are not estrogen. They do not behave the same way as our body’s own estrogens or like estrogen replacement drugs (ERT).
This is something many women — and their healthcare practitioners — are confused about. They worry that taking soy or red clover or other isoflavones will increase estrogen in their bodies, putting those with a personal or family history of breast or other cancers at increased risk.
The National Cancer Institute currently defines the word “phytoestrogen” as an estrogen-like substance found in some plants and plant products. They also state that phytoestrogens may have anticancer effects."


My take on Soy is that it is NOT harmful. Dr. Oz has even recommended 2 full glasses of soy milk to help get rid of hot flashes. In another program (approximately 4 weeks or less apart, September - October 8th, 2010), he talked about the dangers of soy. He is "wishy washy" when it comes to soy. One day he is promoting soy milk, and another day, he is saying stick to soybeans whole.  Personally, of course soy beans whole is better, and Dr. Oz most definately says this in BOTH programs. And of course, get non-GMO soy products, another thing he suggests and I concur. However, there is no real evidence that soy causes cancer or other health problems.

So there you go. Another scare tactic to keep YOU from going Vegan or Vegetarian and make you want to drink cow's milk and buy lots of stuff from BIG companies who don't care about how their animals are treated or raised.

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