This week, I’m pleased to participate in the blog book tour of Dianne Gregg’s book The Hidden Dangers of Soy . The Hidden Dangers of Soy begins with personal stories of soy’s negative impacts on health before venturing into chapters addressing the soy industry, soy’s health effects, hidden sources of soy and debunking many of soy proponents’ health claims.
It seems that controversy surrounds this little legume. One one hand, some health advocates – especially among vegan communities – herald soy as a panacea for modern ills with claims that it heals heart disease, stops cancer, reduces hypertension and high cholesterol, increases fertility and successfully mitigates the symptoms of menopause; yet, further research into soy indicates that it isn’t all it’s hyped up to be. Indeed, soy may actually be hurting our health more than we truly understand. High in anti-nutrients and goitrogens, soy is highly allergenic, limits your ability to fully absorb nutrients in your food and contributes to hypothyroidism. Diets high in soy – particularly soy protein isolate – can be particularly deleterious to overall health.
More Posts About Soy
Gregg outlines several other cases in which soy negatively impacted health of many people who’d bought into the soy industry’s claims. In an excerpts from the Hidden Dangers of Soy, sufferers outline their stories:
“I thought I was very healthy, and I live a healthy lifestyle (I never smoked, no alcohol, exercise frequently, low stress.) I’m 35 and have been a vegetarian for 25 years. I always eaten lots of soy, and increased my intake significantly the last 2 years because of increased physical activity (to ensure I received adequate protein). 5 years ago, my doctor noticed my thyroid was enlarged, but functioning normally. Now it’s grown larger and I was diagnosed with papillary thyroid cancer. My preliminary research leads me to believe that soy was the cause of the thyroid enlargement and the subsequent cancer.â€
“I am a 31 year old female and have always been healthy and fit. Last year, I thought I needed more protein (I suppose hearing all of the Atkins hype) and since I am not much of a meat eater, I started eating soy protein bars, such as Luna, and ‘meatless’ burgers. After only two weeks, I fell ill. I was completely exhausted, mentally foggy, and felt like I couldn’t breathe. Just walking up the stairs made my heart race. I went to the doctor, and my blood work showed hypothyroid. The doctor asked me to come back for another test to determine the dosage of the thyroid medication that he intended to put me on. I found several articles telling of the dangers of soy and the effects it can have on the thyroid. I tossed out all of the soy stuff and within a few days, I felt 100% better. And when I went back several days later for the second blood test, guess what? Thyroid function was completely normal. I truly believe that the soy products are what caused the problem. I no longer eat soy products and I’ve been fine.â€
“I was fed on soy formulas as an infant, and I have been a vegetarian for 40 years. For 30 years, I have had soy products as a source of protein, thinking that I was doing the right thing. Now I have severe hypothyroidism, and the clinical picture is not yet complete. I have more tests to take. I have battled a weight problem for ten years, and I now know why. I am angry about this soy deception!â€
Like much of the industrial food complex which interweaves business, farming and government, the soy industry is rife with insidious dealings that line the pockets of businessmen and politicians while neglecting soy consumption’s full impact on the health of the American public. In a particularly egregious example, Archer Daniels Midland combined forces with impeached Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich to convert the diet of Illinois prisoners to one based heavily on soy protein isolate. The diet caused severe illness in Illinois prisons. (Read more about how the soy-based diet sickened Illinois prisoners). In the Hidden Dangers of Soy, Gregg discusses the soy industry and just how soy wove its way into virtually every processed food on the market today.
When it comes to soy, there are strong financial incentives by companies like Monsanto, Cargill Foods, Soylife, and the many soybean councils that represent the farmers who grow this crop. It’s cheap and very profitable. The production of soybeans is 40 times more now than it was starting in the 20th century.
“Soy Serves Up Healthy Benefits†will get your attention. It made me a believer through all the advertising. It’s often marketed as a low-fat, dairy-free,
or a high protein meat substitute for vegetarians. It’s also disguised in everything from hamburgers, hot dogs, baby formula, flour, and much more. They say soy foods are a source of high-quality protein that provides health benefits that may help to prevent or treat certain chronic diseases. This is definitely not so for someone with a severe allergy to soy – like me. I bring this to your attention because even though you may not be allergic to soy, it makes sense to me to look for healthier alternatives.
Hopefully a much-needed wake-up call to the American consumer and a source of information and soy-alternatives for those who’ve already begun to feel the negative impacts of soy on one’s health, the Hidden Dangers of Soy provides a fresh look at soy, its impact on our food system and our bodies. The Hidden Dangers of Soy is available on Dianne Gregg’s website HiddenSoy.com and on Amazon.com
Have you looked at the research around high protein diet and cancers? It clearly shows that a diet high in protein no matter what the source ( 0ver 20 per cent) is detrimental.
I personally am more concerned also about the research around casein ( in cow milk) and the links to diabetes, cancer etc.
Loretta -
I have looked into the research surrounding high protein diets and cancer and they tend to be extremely faulty – largely devoid of fat soluble vitamins and other critical micronutrients coupled with overreliance on casein (isolated from other components of dairy like CLA-rich butterfat) as the primary or only source of protein. That is not a diet you’ll find outside the laboratory, so its findings aren’t likely to apply to natural diets outside the laboratory. At any rate, I don’t advocate a high protein diet. Spend time digging through the archives and you’ll find that the focus here at Nourished Kitchen is one based on traditional, whole foods including properly prepared sources of carbohydrates from grains, legumes, fruits and vegetables, fats from properly raised animals and cold-pressed and unrefined oils as well as protein from plant and animal sources.
You should be concerned about research surrounding casein, but you should similarly be aware that almost all the research on casein used A1 beta casein, not A2 beta casein. The gene that causes cattle to produce A1 beta casein is a newly evolved and causes the casein molecule to break into BCM7 (a natural opioid) that is shown to contribute to autoimmune disease and other nasties. This is not the case with A2 beta casein (the caseing molecule found in goat’s milk, sheep’s milk, yak’s milk, water buffalo’s milk and the milk from certain breeds of cattle). That’s why I strongly recommend that folks source the bulk of their dairy (remember, it contains nutrients like CLA, beta carotene and fat soluble vitamins) from grass-fed goats or jersey/guernsey cows. Take into account that studies conducted on casein in relationship to cancers, diabetes and heart disease not only used A1 beta casein instead of the older A2 beta casein variant, but were also conducted on animals and used casein to the exclusion of other foods. Not a diet you’ll find in nature.
Nevertheless, if you’re concerned about casein it’s simple to avoid by choosing dairy-free whole foods. However, you should be similarly concerned about processed soy (the subject of this post) as not only is it implicated in cancer and diabetes, but also endocrine, autoimmune and reproductive disorders. When we choose to eat soy, we eat traditionally prepared soy like miso and tempeh and use small, condiment-sized servings.
Take Care -
Jenny
I would say this is definitely something to look into. I have a similar story (as it relates to eating a lot of soy and health problems)to the quotes that you referred to, from the book. I was a vegetarian for over 10 years and for 2 of them I was vegan. I ate a lot of soy products (also because I was concerned about getting adequate protein) during the 2 years that I was vegan. For those years, I actually developed narcolepsy and started having anxiety attacks. Neither of which I ever had prior to becoming vegan and increasing my soy. That is not to say that being vegan or vegetarian is necessarily bad, but that it was a diet that did not work for me. I think if I were ever to become vegetarian again (which is unlikely) I would make sure to find other ways of eating, that did not have soy as a part of that diet.
Are Brown Swiss cows as good as jersey/guernsey cows? I get my raw milk and raw cream from Brown Swiss cows. It comes from a farm that is grass-fed and organic. The wife speaks at Weston A Price conferences. My assumption is that the Brown Swiss are as good as the jersey/guernsey cows in provided healthy milk and cream. But please let me know what you think.
I avoid soy like the plague. It’s frustrating that soy is advertised as a health food. I lived in Korea for 1.5 years and have visited other Asian countries and very seldom had soy in any form.
Hey Tina -
It’s my understanding that Brown Swiss Cows produce A1 beta casein. This is according to a study published in the September, 1995 issue of Veterinary Immunology and Immunopathology. According to their data, 100% of the Brown Swiss Cows in the study tested positive for the A1 gene. (View the study abstract >a href=”http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8533319″ target=”_”>here</a>.) Don’t lose heart though: it seems that those with healthy intestinal microflora (good bacteria in the gut) may be less receptive to BCM7. So, by consuming raw milk and other foods replete with beneficial bacteria, you’re already a step above the rest. For more information, check out the book <a href=”http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1603581022?ie=UTF8&tag=thenourkitc-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=1603581022″ target=”_”>Devil in the Milk</a> which discusses the controversy surrounding A1/A2 beta casein quite extensively.
Hope that helps -
Jenny
Jenn -
I know where you’re coming from: I was a vegetarian (and vegan) for a good long time and while I initially felt great, after a few months I’d feel terrible. Exhausted. Rotten skin. Thyroid troubles. Insomnia. And, I ate a whole foods vegetarian diet without heavy reliance on processed veg*n convenience foods. While I don’t think a vegetarian diet is inherently unhealthy, I do believe that vegetarians and vegans especially must be extremely mindful of nutrient intake. Afterall, there’s certain nutrients that are simply not found in plant foods and the plant-based alternatives are poorly metabolized into the necessary nutrients. DHA, EPA, Vitamin D and Retinol all come to mind. I also think that western vegetarian diets rely TOO heavily on soy protein without respect to soy’s traditional role in Asian diets.
- Jenny
Jenny,
I’m super frustrated. It took forever for me to get raw milk and now I found out the milk I’m getting could cause diseases. I’ve paid for a year in advance so I have 11 months of this raw milk. I’m sure the cows are healthy – I’ve gone to the farm and they looked really healthy. But for $8 a gallon, I want the best milk I can get.
Tina -
I wouldn’t worry about it too much. Your body is much less susceptible to the effects of BCM7 (what A2 beta casein breaks down into) if you have good intestinal flora. By drinking the milk raw, you’re already populating your gut with beneficial bacteria and while that won’t change the casein molecule, it’s a good for you nonetheless. Also, I doubt dairy is your primary source of protein and most of the studies conducted on casein were animal studies that involved feeding lab rats and mice little more than milk casein – not a natural diet that happened to include some casein. Not everything can be perfect, but we can strive to enjoy the best we have.
Take Care
- Jenny
First of all, I am THRILLED to have found this blog! I have been suffering all kinds of lethargy, anxiety, and brain fog for years and just recently discovered that eliminating sugar, milk, and wheat made all that disappear. But, I have been tested every angle possible by traditional and naturopathic medicine. NO allergies, antibodies, celiac…nothing. So what’s the problem? Poor gut flora. (Naturopath prescribed 2 cups of homemade sauerkraut per day)
But goat milk didn’t bother me. I thought I was delusional. I bet you a dollar your A1/A2 has solved the milk question. And thankfully, though I live in the suburbs, I have two grass-fed pet does ready to be bred!
So…do you have any wheat thoughts? Has commercial wheat done something wacky?
I almost never eat processed foods, but I do love my morning tofu shake. So much so that I might have to wait for some symptoms to break the habit. ACK!
Ooo, and come see my site! We’d love you to guest blog.