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Should Our Children Be Eating Soy?

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The is no doubt that the earlier a girl experiences menarche, the scarier it is.  This greatly increases the risks of estrogen related cancers like endometrial and breast cancers.

Early menarche also means that the hormonal disturbances that caused the early onset of menses are NOT due to “Mother Nature-planned” physiological changes.  In other words, hormonal disturbances are only the beginning of the problem.  Overall, anything we can do to slow the onset of menarche the better.

In this particular study, researchers found that in girls, the higher her levels of isoflavones were (found principally in soy) the later they reached menarche.  Seems strange, doesn’t it?  The “they” who say soy is evil would have us believe that it is loaded with hormones that interfere with normal development, but in this study (and many others…) we actually see soy intake intake protecting normal development.

As usual, I have to include the typical disclaimer when talking about soy–not the processed, GMO laded textured vegetable protein that makes up the bulk of veggie burgers that you can buy in the grocery store.  Rather, organic or GMO-free soy in all its forms–tofu, edamame, miso, natto, etc…

Is Soy as Bad for Us as “They” Say?

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You know, I read A LOT of medical literature.  Finding negative health effects of soy is actually quite difficult.

The evidence on the health of soy is overwhelmingly positive.  There are still oncologists telling their breast cancer patients to avoid soy, despite the fact that it DOUBLES survival rates.  Of course, we are talking about organic (i.e. non-GMO) and unprocessed (no “soy burgers” or “soy dogs” or “TVP”).

The other complicating factor that needs to be understood about soy is that, for the full benefits to be obtained, we need to have the right blend of good bacteria in our gut to convert the isoflavones to their aglycone form, thus getting the most benefits from the soy intake.  This particular small study further confirms this, finding that the ability of soy to lower cholesterol was greater when prebiotics (fiber that can aid the growth of healthy bacteria) were added into the diet.

Soy Foods on the Hotspot Again: Ovarian Cancer

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Run a Google search for “soy” and the first page or two are dominated by “soy kills” websites. The general public seems to think that soy is not good for you.

Many of these sites have one thing in common; by the time you get past all the hype, everyone seems to agree that, so long as you avoid processed and GMO, soy may actually be good for you. This means anything that contains TVP (textured vegetable protein), most veggie burgers and any soy product that is not labeled as organic or GMO free.

In addition, since soy is so darn prevalent in our processed foods and infant formulas, soy allergy is not uncommon. There also does seem to be some relationship between soy and thyroid function, but there is very little actual research to back this concern up.

In all the research that I have read over the years, it is almost unheard of to find negative effects of soy. The vast majority of the studies show distinct and powerful effects on human health. This particular study, looking at the effect of different soy-based foods on the risk of ovarian cancer. And the results are pretty stunning:

  • In this China-based study of 500 ovarian cancer patients, Information on habitual consumption of soy foods, including soybean, soy milk, fresh tofu, dried tofu, and soybean sprout, was obtained.
  • There was a lower average consumption of soy in ovarian cancer patients compared to matched controls (75.3 grams/day versus 110.7 grams/day.
  • It was determined that that regular intake of soy foods could slash ovarian cancer risk by 71% in women who consumed at least 120 grams/day when compared to those who consume less than 61 grams/day.

To put this in perspective, a ½ cup of edamame is 90 grams and 1/3 cup of tofu is about 85 grams, so we’re not talking about mass amounts of soy. Basically, less than 2 servings per day.

Seventy one percent lower risk of ovarian cancer. Add in a diet low in red meat, skip dairy and avoid hormone replacement therapy and you’ve pretty much eliminated all risk of ovarian cancer.

Just don’t wait for soy to make it to the front page of the newspaper as being good for you.

BRCA1, BRCA2 and Breast Cancer Risk; Are You Doomed?

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The answer to the above question is, of course, a strong yes.  After all, if Angelina Jolie decided to have her breasts removed and the medical community performed the procedure, it must be that severe.

In addition, if you follow the American Cancer Society and the Komen Foundation, you get the idea that all you need to do is get your mammograms on time and everything will be ok.  That way, when you do find breast cancer, you’ve caught it early and your chance of survival is better.  Having just had another close experience with the Komen foundation, the vast majority of walkers in the 3-day still don’t REALLY understand that breast cancer is preventable.  It naturally follows that, if it’s not preventable, we have to develop a miraculous cure.  This miraculous cure will only be found with untold hundreds of millions of dollars being pumped into research and development.

That’s not to say that these organizations do not put money into prevention research and education, but it’s a much smaller portion with a minor emphasis.  Contrast this with the American Institute for Cancer Research, and across the top of the website you get a clear idea that prevention reigns supreme.

As mentioned, many think that breast cancer is inevitable, especially if they have a strong family history or, worse yet, the “breast cancer genes” BRCA1 and BRCA2.  Those women with BRCA mutations (side note: I hate the world “mutations” because it makes it sound like some time of villain in a superhero movie who can’t control the 5 appendages due to a genetic mutation…) have about a 5 times greater risk of developing breast cancer, so the risks are real.

But are they modifiable?

According to this particular study, very much so.  In the Korean Hereditary Breast Cancer Study, enrolling around 2,000 women with hereditary breast cancer, researchers looked at how much soy and animal product intake affected the risk of developing breast cancer in the BRCA gene mutation carriers.  Here’s what they found:

  1. Soy intake whopping 61% lower risk in carriers.
  2. Those with the highest meat consumption led to a 97% higher risk in carriers.
  3. Highest meat consumption led to a 41% higher risk in non-carriers.
  4. These associations were stronger in BRCA2 mutation carriers.
  5. In women who developed breast cancer, the highest intake of soy (but not meat intake) was associated with a 43% lower BRCA-related breast cancer.

Overall, it is clear that the intake of soy and the avoidance of animal products (so basically a plant-based diet) came very close to eliminating the so called “excess” risk associated with the BRCA “mutation.”

As always when I talk about soy, I’m talking about non-processed (i.e. no veggie burgers or veggie hotdogs) and GMO-free soy.  And this study, much like most others, do not take into account the fact that those women who had a longer lifetime exposure to soy were more likely to have the right type of bacteria in their gut to convert protective compounds in soy to the really protective compounds in soy (equol-producers).  If they were able to take this into account, it is likely that the protective effect would’ve been even stronger.

Thirty-Eight Studies Find Soy Products Lower Cholesterol – (07-31-00)

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Thirty-Eight Studies Find Soy Products Lower Cholesterol

It seems that soy’s effect on cholesterol may actually be better researched than many of the pharmaceutical drugs on the market. As a side note, it is important to mention that soy is not ALL good. It does have a tendency to interact with other essential nutrients. It is important to not fall prey to every soy product on the market.

Increasing evidence supports the use of soy products to lower blood cholesterol, a heart-health publication edited by cardiologists reports. Heart and Health Reports cited a summary of 38 recent studies of the effect of soy on cholesterol: “This summary found that an average intake of 46 grams of soy protein per day reduced total cholesterol by an average of 9 percent, [low-density lipoprotein (LDL)] cholesterol by l3 percent, and triglycerides by 11 percent,” the publication said. Patients who had the highest cholesterol to start with had the greatest cholesterol-lowering benefit from soy, with some studies showing that soy raised high-density lipoprotein cholesterol.

The “Soy is Evil” Saga Continues: 7 Effects on Prediabetes

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For those of you that read my blog post on soy a few weeks ago and still think I’m off my rocker and being paid under the table by the soy growers association, I present exhibit B.

With the usual caveats of non-processed and non-GMO soy, the research is overwhelmingly in support of soy as part of a healthy lifestyle.  I’ve read the arguments stating that soy was only recently introduced into the human diet maybe 75 years ago, but much like all the other misconceptions about soy, this is untrue and, in this case, the authors are only maybe 5,000 years off (and, in the timeframes of the universe as well as carbon dating techniques, this is merely a rounding error).

In this particular study, authors looked at the ability of genistein (the protective isoflavone found in soy) to help improve prediabetes.  120 women with prediabetes were given 54 mg genistein (about the amount found in a serving of soy) for 1 year.  Here’s what they found:

  1. With genistein use, fasting glucose and fasting insulin dropped.
  2. HDL-C increased an average of 10 mg/dL.
  3. Increased adiponectin levels (an anti-diabetic hormone produced by the fat cells).
  4. Decreased total cholesterol, LDL-C down 30 points, triglycerides and visfatin (another fat derived hormone that drives inflammation and chronic disease).
  5. Homocysteine levels dropped as well (an amino acid linked to heart disease and stroke).
  6. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure was also reduced.

To top it all off, genistein users complained of no more side adverse effects than the non-users in the study and did not discontinue the study at any different rate.

Looking at the drop in LDL cholesterol and triglycerides coupled with the increase in HDL, the risk of heart disease is going to plummet with this as well.

Compare this to statins, the wonder drug that I love so much, which ONLY effects one single blood marker (LDL) and will actually LOWER HDL.  So, a drug with loads of side effects (which can be perused ad nauseam in my eBook, which can be found on the eBooks page by clicking here) that has almost no effects on heart disease or stroke rates is not even in the same ballpark as a serving of soy at protecting your heart.

Much life the proverbial death match between the HR Block accountant and the ninja warrior.  Too bad the accountant has billions of dollars backing him up.

Phytoestrogen Consumption and Breast Cancer Risk – (09-10-01)

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Phytoestrogen Consumption and Breast Cancer Risk

Scanning quickly would give you the idea that soy intake has no effect on breast cancer risk in non-asian women. Reading further, however, you will find that this study evaluated their “usual” intake of tofu at one serving per week, which is less than the 3+ servings shown to be protective in other studies.

Am. J. Epidemiol. — Abstracts: Horn-Ross et al. 154 (5): 434

Read entire article here

Your Heart and Blood Vessels on Soy: 5 Things to Know

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A simple Google search will leave you confused about whether eating soy is good for your heart and blood vessels or as evil as Twinkies.

Ok…so nothing could be as evil as Twinkies.

But what IS the deal with soy?  Is it good for us, or does it vaporizes the thyroid, cause breast cancer and stimulate teenage boys to grow Dolly Parton-esque boobs?

As someone who reads through hordes of medical literature, I can tell you that the evidence overwhelmingly points to soy as being very protective for our health.  I don’t even recall coming across any negative studies on soy, and this is a topic I always keep my radar screen open for.  Interestingly enough, all of the articles and blog posts on the Internet demonizing soy seem to point out the evils and then, in fine print, begrudgingly note that soy might be ok if it’s not processed and non-GMO.

When pressed, the naysayers agree that soy is part of a healthy lifestyle once those two factors are addressed.  So why not address these two requirements right out of the gate?  I can’t figure that one out myself.  Regardless of other opinions, I continue to promote soy as part of a healthy lifestyle.  And, as noted, this means no processed soy (as in veggie burgers, veggie dogs, textured vegetable protein, etc..) and non-GMO.

Also important to note is that soy contains protective compounds referred to an isoflavones, specifically daidzein and genistein.  By themselves, these compounds have protective effects.  Beyond this, if someone has the right blend of bacteria in his or her gut (like Asians raised on soy) these bacteria in the gut convert another class of compounds (lignans) into an even more potent compound called enterolactone.  This benefit may be destroyed by antibiotics.

You can see that it’s not all that simple.  The take home message is that soy is, in almost all circumstances, very good for you, so long as the above 2 criteria are met.  And you’re not allergic (not really all that common unless you were inundated with soy over a long period of time), and in some susceptible people it might cause some thyroid problems.

All of this brings me to this particular study looking at the effects of genistein on certain cardiovascular markers.  Participants to 54 mg/day (just under a cup’s worth of tofu) for 6 months, along with a Mediterranean-style diet.  Here’s what they found:

  1. Blood flow (as measured by flow mediated dilation at 50 seconds and peak FMD) improved.
  2. Decreases in total cholesterol, triglycerides and homocysteine.
  3. Descreases in visfatin (a hormone produced by fat cells that drive diabetes and inflammation).
  4. Adiponectin (another fat-derived hormone, but one that protects against diabetes and inflammation) levels were increased.
  5. The participants on the genistein experienced no more side effects nor discontinued the study.

Overall, this was a very positive effect on the health of the blood vessels.  Contrast this with the negative health effects of poor quality, abused, commercially grown beef.  Complete opposite ends of the vascular health spectrum.