Conflicting Health Advice About Soy

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on Oct 9, 2008

in Additives, Allergies, Digestive Health, Natural Food, Nutrition, Processed Food, Vegan, Vegetarian

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Okay, so it is no surprise that there is so much health information out there today. The Internet is packed full of health tips, diets, advice, studies, etc.

Well that would all be great if the information was credible, consistent and factual. Unfortunately sometimes it isn’t.

Who is to blame? Well no one person or group really. The thing is there is a small percentage of people out there who actually go straight to the science and to add to that, make that credible, unbiased science. Secondly, there is a small percentage of people who truly understand the body, the science and bring all of the information together. Thirdly, we have the media that often highly distorts the facts of science for us and makes us learn things that are incorrect, which we then go and pass around to others and you can quickly see how the vicious cycle continues. And of course to add to all this, everybody is entitled to their own opinion.

So what is the problem? Well yesterday in my inbox, I had a health newsletter from Dr. Mercola of Mercola.com and one from HealthCastle.com.

The one from Dr. Mercola had an article with the following heading: “The Evidence Against Soy” and the one from HealthCastle had one that read “10 Ways to Add More Soy To Your Diet.”

Interesting, as you can see - I had a bit of a chuckle too. Perhaps I would not have been so keen on catching it if these two came on different days, but when the two articles came together I just could not let this one go. So in light of veggie awareness month, this could not have come at a better time. Hence I thought let’s take a closer look at what is really going on when it comes to soy.

What does HealthCastle say?

HealthCastle starts off by telling us how the North American diet often overlooks soy and then goes on to give us the following benefits for incorporating soy into one’s diet.

can help to lower cholesterol
can help to lower the risk of heart disease
builds bone health
helps prevent cancer, particularly prostate cancer

As you can see the above are very common things that the average Westerner would be interested in improving upon.

Now let us pay attention to this, they claim that health experts recommend a diet with 25 grams of daily soy protein intake to reap the health benefits.

Hence the article goes on to list 10 ways in which you can add more soy to your diet, which in a summary are:

Edamame
Soy Nut Butter
Soy Milk
Soy Nuts
Soy Cheese
Soy Cereal
Soy Ice-Cream
Soft Tofu
Hard Tofu
Soy Meats

For details about each of the above visit the article of “10 Ways to Add More Soy To Your Diet.”

What does Dr. Mercola say?

Dr. Mercola begins by introducing soy through two corporation giants, DuPont and Dow Chemical, who in the past and still today are linked to making products that cause many people ill health. Today these two companies have gotten into the soy market and are now two of the driving sources of soy as a major food source for humans, marketing it to people as a healthier and greener food choice.

Naturally, you can see how misinformation can be started in a new vicious cycle through this as more and more people take up a vegetarian lifestyle. Who is going to drive most of the information out there? Two companies who have nothing to do with people’s health and everything to do with their wallets.

Hence, Dr. Mercola then continues his article by linking to 14 trusted health studies - science right from the source. Sources of these articles include well-known science journals like the National Center for Biotechnology Information, Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention and Environmental Health Perspectives.

Here is the summary of health risks he presents based on this research:

In terms of the link between soy isoflavones and lowering cholesterol:

“This link is now not supported by many authors or by appropriately designed clinical studies. - NCBI”

In terms of lowering cancer risks:

“The role of isoflavones in cancer prevention, particularly of tumours under endocrine control (breast, prostate and others) is again only supported by weak to nonexistent clinical evidence. - NCBI”

In terms of lowering symptoms associated with ageing:

“Disturbing data have been reported on potential negative effects of soy isoflavones on cognitive function in the aged, particularly relating to tofu intake. - NCBI”

In terms of lowering cardiovascular risk:

“No significant effects on HDL cholesterol, triglycerides, lipoprotein(a), or blood pressure were evident. - NCBI”

Soy can inhibit iron absorption and iron bioavailability
Calcium and zinc from soy milk are not as readily absorbed as from cow’s milk
Soy can increase risk of bladder cancer
Soy exposure during pregnancy can increase risk of breast cancer in female children
Soy linked to allergies and increased asthma
Soy may increase or decrease breast cancer risk

Dr. Mercola concludes this section by saying that he strongly believes that the risks of consuming soy products far outweigh the benefits.

Dr. Mercola also states that he is not against fermented soy products, which are the ones that have been used for centuries by the Oriental culture, and not the processed soy products that most of the Western world consumes and believes are beneficial for them.

His article then gives facts and figures about soy and why so many people believe soy is a beneficial food product. Now read the following fact carefully:

“Ever since the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved a health claim for soy foods in 1999 (which said diets low in saturated fat and cholesterol that include 25 grams of soy protein a day may reduce the risk of heart disease), soy sales have skyrocketed.”

Sound familiar? Perhaps that is why our friends over at HealthCastle think one should be eating 25g of protein per day and living the benefits they mentioned. But when did serious health individuals last, take what the FDA says seriously?

He concludes his article with many more insights and dangers of soy, that if you are interested in eating soy or currently eat, you should read yourself here.

What does Evita say?

Okay so there we have it, clearly one medical database is contradicting the other.

Perhaps you do not need to hear my take on it, perhaps based on the above research and write up you have already made up your own mind. Regardless, I would like to take you through a few key points on how to be a critical and discerning consumer when it comes to your health.

First, who are the facts written by? The article on HealthCastle is written by someone who we know nothing about and reviewed by the site founder, a dietician. The article on Mercola is written by Dr. Mercola. Although this makes it more credible, it is not enough as we know that some doctors have their own ideas about health that are not in line with good practice - take the late Dr. Atkins for example.

Secondly, are the facts supported by any research? The article on HealthCastle - no, where as the article on Mercola - yes.

Thirdly, do the parties writing the article have any vested interest for or against the products?As far as HealthCastle, I don’t think so, but one can’t be sure who may be paying the bills behind the scenes and sponsoring certain topics. As far as Dr. Mercola goes, although he does have some products he sells on his sight, this article is not trying to sell anything. Maybe he is for animal products, maybe he isn’t. It is important to note he did not dismiss all soy and gave recommendations for healthy soy products.

So what is the verdict? Well on this one I have to go with Dr. Mercola for the obvious reasons, plus several of my own.

I know very well how the Western world takes diets from other cultures that are healthy and messes them up into diets that are unhealthy. Just look at what happened with the Mediterranean diet. Hence, I have no doubt that we have distorted the Oriental version of using soy as a healthy food staple. For one because we want to eat too much of it - more than they ever ate on a regular basis and two, because we have processed it. For hundreds of years there were no artificially processed soy products which today are marketed to many a vegetarian.

Based on my own research, one can also not ignore that soy does have estrogen mimicking substances. Hence, when one puts all of the information together, it just does not make sense to me from many health perspectives to revolve your life, especially if vegetarian around soy.

As Dr. Mercola says - the risks just outweigh the benefits.

So naturally I am not going to jump all over the dairy and cow milk he mentions. That is not what this is about. Personally soy is a small staple in my diet with the odd, organic glass of soy milk and the once a month on average tempeh dish. For even if there are benefits to this food, there are more healthier and proven ways to reduce one’s cholesterol, heart disease and cancer risk.

Consequently to get the most true benefits for your health, regardless of what product is in the spotlight, stay conscious to the information presented to you and always question the source of the information you are going to go by.

*For another good reference on soy, check out what Mr.Cabbage Head has to say about the safety of soy.

*Photograph courtesy of Dano

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14 Comments, Comment or Ping

Hanlie says:

I’ve also come accross this dichotomy regarding soy. I must say, I err on the safe side and use very little soy for two main reasons: 1) I’m estrogen dominant and 2) most soy crops are GM.

Oct 10th, 2008
earthmother says:

I was a ‘guinea pig baby’ back in, ahem, 1962. My parents were part of a test market for soy formula and got it for free, so that’s what I was weaned on. Even as an adult, I never did acquire the taste for cow’s milk, and hence, drank soy milk daily.

It wasn’t until recently that I learned soy is the most mucus-forming plant food on the planet. This grabbed my attention, because I’ve been plagued with allergies, sinus headaches and sinus infections since I was a kid.

It’s been three months since I’ve kicked the soy habit. Talk about detox! You would not believe the amount of mucus that my body eliminated. Not one sinus headache or infection since. And, no sneezing and wheezing this September during hay fever season.

Oct 10th, 2008
Liara Covert says:

Lots of studies are regularly released. It is up to each person to become discerning about what resonates.

Oct 12th, 2008
Evita says:

@HANLIE - you bring up an excellent point - most soy is a GM crop and that in itself can make many people uncomfortable with eating it, regardless of any health benefits.

@EARTHMOTHER - Thank you for sharing - I had no idea that was going on in the 60’s. Again - you brought up a point about soy that many people are unaware of regarding the formation of mucous.

Your story is amazing and I am so glad the effects were able to reverse themselves for you.

@LIARA - Indeed there is so much information presented and I actually feel very comfortable using my own intuition to discern one from the other, aside from the science. However, most people want facts and our world is just not yet enough focused on the power of our intuition.

For example I remember when I was 18 and sunblock was extremely popular and it just did not make sense to me - I could not put my finger on it, but I knew it was not “good” for us. Naturally people dismissed my theories, a) because I was only 18 and b) because what science was I basing my presumptions on. A decade later we were finding out that indeed there are more risks to sunblock usually than benefits.

As much as I now use science, mostly to make others comfortable with the information I present, we have to indeed understand that often our own intuition, if we really stop and think about it, is more proof for making any decision than science could ever give us.

Oct 13th, 2008
Danette says:

I am just finding out myself about all these conflicting reports. and I like you would like to see who is behind the studies and who would win from said article.

My daughter and I who are both vegetarians, eat very little soy. So for the amount we consume, I think it is a great trade off for losing meat in our diet.

And I too think we have Americanized the soy that the Chinese have eaten for thousands of years. Go figure.

Oct 19th, 2008
Evita says:

@DANETTE - Thank you for your input and addition.

It is hard to find out with some studies who sponsored or wanted them published but with some research one can indeed get much closer to the source to make a better decision for themselves where their health is concerned.

Oct 19th, 2008
Gina says:

I’ve been plagued with the same indecision about soy. There is so much conflicting evidence nowadays. It’s very frustrating. I have 4 young children, and I’m starting to wean them off the soy. Better to be safe than sorry.

Oct 23rd, 2008
Evita says:

@GINA - You couldn’t be more right. In today’s world it is indeed better to adopt an attitude of better safe than sorry - especially when it comes to kids.

As I always say, most items out there are unfortunately today, guilty until proven innocent and not the other way around.

However on a more positive note, there are still lots of natural, wholesome and trusted foods that one never has to worry about like good old fruits and vegetables - they at least give me lots of hope that there are still great and healthy things in this world (that is as long as one goes organic ;)

Oct 25th, 2008
Dr. Art Ayers says:

I read biomedical research articles all day long. I also did research on soybeans and collaborated with some people at Monsanto who were developing the GM soybeans. I don’t think anyone can speak authoritatively on food safety. Look at the insanity around bottled water. It seems to me that your article takes the reasonable stance that no plant is completely safe. After all, they are all loaded with plant molecules adapted for killing herbivores and pathogens. We are just good at detoxifying. Soy has traditionally been processed by making bean curd to remove toxic plant lectins. There are also unintended consequences. For example, I tried to talk authoritatively in favor of the use of GM soy as safe for soy formula. The trouble was that the GM soy was grown using glyphosate herbicide. That rare, safe herbicide increases estrogenic compounds in soy. Terrible for formula! Blush.

Oct 30th, 2008
silver says:

It appears there is conflicting information regarding Dr. Mercola himself:

http://www.quackwatch.org/11Ind/mercola.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Mercola

I would like to note that, although I think that health castle is not the most scientific source of information(IE: it does not include specific journal articles for download and does not always cite sources)- it is not designed to be. I also wonder, what do webMD and MayoClinic have to say about soy? What about the American Medical Association and the American Dietetic Association?
These more are based on science and edited by health care professionals.
Your arguments are very valid and your advice of approaching this issue with caution is well received, but it seems obvious to me that your information is conflicting- you are listening to unscientific sources of information. healthcastle seems a little better because they have nothing to gain (as far as I can see)- their articles also appear to be written by dietitians. I also found this: http://healthcastle.com/soy_heart_AHA.shtml
Healthcastle has acknowledged that some health claims about soy are exaggerated.

Mercola.com, however, stinks of sales and sensationalism. This site is centered around some fad diet in which you remove grains from your diet. Dr. Mercola’s solutions to problems seem to be: take this supplement that I happen to sell.

I will admit, I have not spent a lot of time on his site but searching ‘vaccines’ on his site- he really seems anti-vaccine. This seems completely contradictory to modern medical advice. Do we really want to invite the smallpox back?

I don’t trust this guy…

Nov 19th, 2008
Evita says:

Hello Silver,

Thank you for your input, you bring up some very good points. And although I may take a stand more for Dr.Mercola and less for healthcastle as well as any American foundation, A) I completely understand where you are coming from and why you feel how you feel and B) I will explain to you a little more about why I feel how I feel.

Ok, so for starters there are a lot of doctors, dietitians and nutritionists that do not give not just scientifically sound, BUT not well balanced health advice.

Having a science background myself I can tell you quite a lot about what actually does and does not happen in scientific studies. On top of that adding in my expertise as a Holistic Nutritionist, I do tend to look at the whole picture where the body is concerned, something that Western medicine does not do.

So I always hate to say this to people but it is the God’s honest truth, scientific studies are not what you think they are. Do not get me wrong I am not discounting all of them, but having formal education as a scientist I have seen how left winged that field is and that is why I have brought in the balance into my own life and this site by bringing out the holistic side - a side that has our evolution, intuition and common sense backing it up, sometimes much more than science, for the past hundreds of years.

Hence I know Dr. Mercola sells stuff, but where this article was concerned he was not selling anything. On the other hand I know HealthCastle actually IS following the info and guidelines from places like the FDA, American Dietetic Association and so on. Please do not think that I have something personal against them, but I have seen enough to know that our health IS NOT their number 1 priority - the economy on the other hand is.

That is why sites like NaturalNews.com (which are VERY reputable) or Dr.Mercola may not appeal to the average person out there because they are saying usually quite the opposite of what the media and the big health organizations say. But if you look at the media and the big health organizations, they are primarily the reason why we have the health problems we do.

You have all the right not to feel trustworthy of Dr.Mercola because as I said above he is going against the mainstream BUT he is not the only one - most holistic and naturopaths health care professionals ARE. Because too many people are sick of how the “big guys” are handling our health.

That I why I second the anti-vaccine thing, because the more research I do on it the more disgusting information I find out - stuff that the media will never tell us. And where smallpox and many other diseases are concerned, never mind how about the flu shot - it is unfortunately more of a fear based tactic than anything else. The microbiology of the flu virus, smallpox virus, etc, is not what people really think.

Now do not get me wrong I am not completely against ALL vaccines but there is a whole lot more to this story that needs to be explained. In fact I will write an article on it altogether - thank you for the inspiration :)

So I wish I did not have to put down the sources that most people think are trustworthy in our society today, but the truth is they have proven over and over to let people down much more than the holistic market and that is why just as with soy, there are always two sides to every story.

Nov 20th, 2008
Jon says:

I am sorry, I am new at this but one look at that Dr Mercola, it is obvious that he has an agenda. He is trying to sell products and books, simple. He is part of an uber conservative Association of American Physicians and Surgeons, which is kind of funny because you said you do not trust any American association. He is just one of those niche sales people who is trying to suck up the holistic groupies out there. I am sorry, while there is clearly agendas from some doctors out there a consensus of the medical community who is actually in the trenches is pretty good proof. It is far more trustworthy then people trying to sell books and products to make money, especially when there is no proof of anything they are saying except from certain industry backed entities. Just because something is mainstream does not make it bad and at the same time just because something is mainstream does not make it good. It appears to me that your holistic bias blinds you to the obvious nature of this man and many others who leach off any new craze, valid or not, that pops up. I think, as advice for you to reach more people, you should practice what you preach and really take a hard (to me obvious) look at this guy and others out there. The mainstream may not always be right but the same goes for people who want to sell books with their own face on it.

Jun 16th, 2009
Evita says:

@ JON - Hello Jon and thank you for your comment, however I do have to start by saying that I am a bit confused by it.

You are telling me that I am biased towards the holistic side, but are you not showing a bias against Dr. Mercola? While he may be a business man and selling stuff, there is value to some of the info that he presents and shares, and I do not think it is very fair to dismiss it all based on how you feel about him.

Nowhere in this article am I telling readers that I support him and his products. I am simply laying out 2 pieces of contradicting info and helping readers make sense of it. And yes I do subscribe to his newsletter, just like to HealthCastle, because I am OPEN to info from many health sources, and then use my own research and logic to make up my mind, in terms of what makes sense to me and what doesn’t. And this is what I always encourage my readers to do as well.

Also nowhere did I say here that “I do not trust any American association”. If you are referring to the comment above, I stated simply that I am less inclined to take their side and my reasoning is that their constant track record where public health is concerned is unsatisfactory to me.

Ultimately this article is about soy, and if the Pope said something that made sense to me about soy tomorrow, I would give him the same open-minded analysis that I gave these two sources, regardless of what religion I was.

And finally, I think it comes down to asking ourselves, what does Mercola have to gain by telling you not to eat soy? Soy is one of the most genetically modified products today and things like tofu and soy milk are highly processed with some companies already being in the spotlight for highly contaminated soy products. So as far as I see it, if we keep using our emotional side when evaluating info from others, we really may miss some valuable stuff.

Jun 16th, 2009