Translations: Spanish
Myth: Use of soy as a food dates back many thousands of years.
Truth: Soy was first used as a food during the late Chou dynasty (1134-246 BC), only after the Chinese learned to ferment soy beans to make foods like tempeh, natto and tamari.
Myth: Asians consume large amounts of soy foods.
Truth: Average consumption of soy foods in Japan and China is 10 grams (about 2 teaspoons) per day. Asians consume soy foods in small amounts as a condiment, and not as a replacement for animal foods.
Myth: Modern soy foods confer the same health benefits as traditionally fermented soy foods.
Truth: Most modern soy foods are not fermented to neutralize toxins in soybeans, and are processed in a way that denatures proteins and increases levels of carcinogens.
Myth: Soy foods provide complete protein.
Truth: Like all legumes, soy beans are deficient in sulfur-containing amino acids methionine and cystine. In addition, modern processing denatures fragile lysine.
Myth: Fermented soy foods can provide vitamin B12 in vegetarian diets.
Truth: The compound that resembles vitamin B12 in soy cannot be used by the human body; in fact, soy foods cause the body to require more B12
Myth: Soy formula is safe for infants.
Truth: Soy foods contain trypsin inhibitors that inhibit protein digestion and affect pancreatic function. In test animals, diets high in trypsin inhibitors led to stunted growth and pancreatic disorders. Soy foods increase the body’s requirement for vitamin D, needed for strong bones and normal growth. Phytic acid in soy foods results in reduced bioavailabilty of iron and zinc which are required for the health and development of the brain and nervous system. Soy also lacks cholesterol, likewise essential for the development of the brain and nervous system. Megadoses of phytoestrogens in soy formula have been implicated in the current trend toward increasingly premature sexual development in girls and delayed or retarded sexual development in boys.
Myth: Soy foods can prevent osteoporosis.
Truth: Soy foods can cause deficiencies in calcium and vitamin D, both needed for healthy bones. Calcium from bone broths and vitamin D from seafood, lard and organ meats prevent osteoporosis in Asian countries—not soy foods.
Myth: Modern soy foods protect against many types of cancer.
Truth: A British government report concluded that there is little evidence that soy foods protect against breast cancer or any other forms of cancer. In fact, soy foods may result in an increased risk of cancer.
Myth: Soy foods protect against heart disease.
Truth: In some people, consumption of soy foods will lower cholesterol, but there is no evidence that lowering cholesterol with soy protein improves one’s risk of having heart disease.
Myth: Soy estrogens (isoflavones) are good for you.
Truth: Soy isoflavones are phyto-endocrine disrupters. At dietary levels, they can prevent ovulation and stimulate the growth of cancer cells. Eating as little as 30 grams (about 4 tablespoons) of soy per day can result in hypothyroidism with symptoms of lethargy, constipation, weight gain and fatigue.
Myth: Soy foods are safe and beneficial for women to use in their postmenopausal years.
Truth: Soy foods can stimulate the growth of estrogen-dependent tumors and cause thyroid problems. Low thyroid function is associated with difficulties in menopause.
Myth: Phytoestrogens in soy foods can enhance mental ability.
Truth: A recent study found that women with the highest levels of estrogen in their blood had the lowest levels of cognitive function; In Japanese Americans tofu consumption in mid-life is associated with the occurrence of Alzheimer’s disease in later life.
Myth: Soy isoflavones and soy protein isolate have GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) status.
Truth: Archer Daniels Midland (ADM) recently withdrew its application to the FDA for GRAS status for soy isoflavones following an outpouring of protest from the scientific community. The FDA never approved GRAS status for soy protein isolate because of concern regarding the presence of toxins and carcinogens in processed soy.
Myth: Soy foods are good for your sex life.
Truth: Numerous animal studies show that soy foods cause infertility in animals. Soy consumption enhances hair growth in middle-aged men, indicating lowered testosterone levels. Japanese housewives feed tofu to their husbands frequently when they want to reduce his virility.
Myth: Soy beans are good for the environment.
Truth: Most soy beans grown in the US are genetically engineered to allow farmers to use large amounts of herbicides.
Myth: Soy beans are good for developing nations.
Truth: In third world countries, soybeans replace traditional crops and transfer the value-added of processing from the local population to multinational corporations.
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Really interesting stuff but I still don’t get something: Are there ANY problems with fermented soy or is it just the unfermented one that causes trouble??
Mainly the unfermented soy.
careful Laura, you need to mention that for Soy to be safe, it must also be Organic in addition to being properly Fermented for safe for consumption but personally i would avoid Soya and all Soy products regardless because it has such a high risk of cross-contamination with genetically adulterated Soy making Organic soy not truly Organic. You should be careful to avoid all processed foods with Soy ingredients listed on the back or side of the package. Soybeans, Soybean oil, Soy oil, Soy Lecithin or Lecithen (various spelling) etc. good luck – See more at: http://www.westonaprice.org/health-topics/myths-truths-about-soy/#comment-330504
..I NEED CLARIFICATION, GENERALLY, is soybean or drinking soy milk is really bad for our health?
I really like drinking soy milk, as well as my 4 yr old daughter. I’m selling a homemade fresh soy milk as my source of income , so am I putting myself in any possible danger? Because of negative side of soybean, many also of my customer asking me about the health benefits of soy milk. So, what will happen or any advise from the site?
Does organic soy have the same consequences as is described above in truths and myths about soy?
yes it does, Organic soy is extremely toxic, it must be both Organic and properly Fermented to be safe for consumption but personally i would avoid Soya and all Soy products regardless because it has such a high risk of cross-contamination with genetically adulterated Soy making Organic soy not truly Organic. You should be careful to avoid all processed foods with Soy ingredients listed on the back or side of the package. Soybeans, Soybean oil, Soy oil, Soy Lecithin or Lecithen (various spelling) etc.
good luck
Is organic soy bad for you to??
yes, Organic soy is extremely toxic, it must be both Organic and properly Fermented to be safe for consumption but personally i would avoid Soya and all Soy products regardless because it has such a high risk of cross-contamination with genetically adulterated Soy making Organic soy not truly Organic. You should be careful to avoid all processed foods with Soy ingredients listed on the back or side of the package. Soybeans, Soybean oil, Soy oil, Soy Lecithin or Lecithen (various spelling) etc.
good luck
This article has no references. WHo has made those conclusions about soy? Based on what facts or studies? Plesae, provide references. THank you.
You know that’s not an argument, right? This article was meant to be a succinct rebuttal to common myths about soy consumption. It is clearly based on both facts and studies, the references to which can be found on this very website. Laziness is not an argument. Asking for sources is not a rebuttal.
If you find something disagreeable, present your own facts to the contrary. Asking for sources while lacking your own exposes your reactionary resistance to ideas that challenge your poorly-founded preconceptions, and makes it look as though you’re approaching a discussion in bad faith.
Do better.
Lol. It’s somewhat unsurprising that this is the hostile response to someone who very politely asked for references for these claims.
Agree, John
Please tell us where to find the “facts and studies” references specifically about soy in this website that you are mentioning, I’ve looked but can’t find them. Thank you.
Dozens of citations. I’ve read most of the original research articles and (as one trained in biochemistry) found little to disagree with.
http://web.archive.org/web/20110724194358/http://www.soyonlineservice.co.nz/
THIS LINK YOU POSTED IS FROM A WEBSITE THAT HASN’T BEEN UPDATED SINCE 2006
Hi I would love to know your thoughts on Cold washed, NOn GMO soy? Does it still carry the same negative implications? Thanks in adavance
As an Asian-American, I have been rather bemused by the soy scare of recent years. I think it’s become rather overblown. And I think that those who perpetuate this stuff aren’t familiar with Asian culture, including foods.
Who says soy was first consumed during the Chou Dynasty? Archaeology and carbon dating show that soy cultivation and consumption goes back WAY before that!
Also, it is an oft-repeated myth that all soy products in Asian cuisine are fermented. Tofu is not fermented, and in some Asian cultures it is eaten at nearly every meal either as a side item or as part of a main dish. It’s the same with soy bean sprouts, which are not fermented.
And finally, I don’t know where this idea comes from about tofu being used to deliberately reduce male virility, LOL! This business about soy being bad for male hormones seems to be very very recent. Star bodybuilders of the forties and fifties such as Steve Reeves regularly consumed soy protein, and never, EVER complained about any hormonal issues because of it. And that is one field in which hormones need to be kept at optimum levels.
THANK YOU! With all the yeas and nays, I was ready to flip a coin! I’m going to continue to consume non-GMO, organic soy. Comment?
I used to drink soy milk and eat Tofu regularly. I became very fatigued and slothful and put on weight; I now have hypothyroidism. Soy products, Ive learned, are goitrogenic; slow your thyroid down.
Be careful with soy there are side effects. If it’s grown in US where GMO is common it is difficult to avoid GMO soy even in organic soy crops.
No smoke without fire, don’t dismiss this article but carry on researching if you feel strongly that you want to eat soy.
Thank-you, I couldn’t agree more. Do some real research people. I can’t trust a site that doesn’t have ONE good thing to say about soy, unreal. There are pros and cons to everything, but people need to stop with their overpowered scare tactics, when really most of them are misinformed or uneducated in food as a whole. They are quick to believe an article or documentary without doing actual research. Okay, I’m done
I hadn’t heard of housewives per se but yes it IS well-established that monks eat soy to make it easier for them to be celibate, as it reduces libido.
There are so many things wrong with this comment, so I’ll start at the top. If you’re Asian American, you’re American. American soy is gmo soy.
When you’re talking heirloom soy from Asia, your taking an entirely different plant than the gmo American one. Similar to heirloom corn in Mexico, versus gmo corn. Yes Asia grows gmo’s now, but they didn’t until quite recently. When you ferment something poisonous, you’ll concentrate the toxin. Also, heirloom organic tofu always says aged. Aged always denotes fermentation!!! Sooo… Even though it has become a fad in Asia today to eat a manufactured, gmo food that was actually traditionally sparingly consumed, always organic, and always aged, that doesn’t make it a healthy choice.
Also, it was started that it was grown FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION in the Chou dynasty. That’s absolutely correct, even by Asian historical literature. Even though it was obviously grown in crops, there is NO evidence of it being used for anything other than animal fodder. Simple to look that one up… Took me all of five minutes.
Soy being used in the fifties absolutely had the well known side effect of reduced sexual virility! Not only was it documented in the day, but it’s well known that men in the body building community don’t eat soy because it is estrogen… Which messes up their hormones! This also took me all of five minutes to confirm.
On another note, there was another comment about showing proof/references. The entire bibliography and references are on this damn website. Stop being a lazy idiot and read, then assess the ENTIRE website, not just the parts you happen to notice. Think critically, do your own research, and consider the facts. The diet dictocrats are invested that you believe soy is the greatest. Nobody here is gaining anything or asking for any money to prove to you that soy is bad. They’re simply providing information without attempting to make a profit.
I was 33, over 200lbs, was diagnosed hypothyridic and prediabetic. I started drinking water, and stopped eating soy/gmo’s. Nothing more, nothing less. I’m now 48 and still have healthy periods, a healthy weight, and healthy energy. Making the decision to delete soy saved my life.
“Anonymous Asian” you should identify yourself. You make perfect sense. Allen Vergakis, and some others on here make sense, but most of it is pure googlegarb.
I am 62 years old next month. I eat organic whole soy beans and fermented natto. I am very healthy and on no meds – 5’4″, 115 lbs and am not a gym rat. My family has a lot of health problems as they tend to follow a SAD lifestyle (Standard American Diet). I have been following a Whole Food Plant Based Diet for more than 10 years.
Soy in its natural, whole food form is a legume and it is beneficial, but overconsumption of soy protein in concentrated form, as it is often found in many non-meat fast-food burgers, appears to dramatically increase the production of IGF-1, a cancer-growth promoter. Regular intake of any excess protein causes a lot of stress on the kidneys as they try to clear it from the body, and in worst-case scenarios, can lead to renal failure and the need for dialysis.
Isolated soy proteins (labeled ISP or SPI), or extracted plant proteins, can be very harmful to the kidneys. ISPs are found in many “plant-based” or vegan burgers, hot dogs, luncheon meats, sausages, candy bars, powdered shakes, and cheeses. Isolated soy proteins are deficient in natural dietary fiber or complex carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients. Vegan food often includes isolated soy protein (ISP) and isolated gluten, aka vital wheat gluten, which is a suspect cause of imbalances resulting in gluten sensitivities, allergies, kidney damage, and cancer. Food containing ISPs are currently pretty popular, but scientists are concerned about their implications for the public’s future health. 40 grams of isolated soy protein increases the cancer growth promoter, IGF-1 by 69 percent, while whole soybeans have the opposite effect by reducing cancer. A WFPBD, on the other hand, is void of these.
A common concern among men in relation to soy is that the phytoestrogen in it would cause feminine or androgen effects. This is an unnecessary concern as research shows that a man would need to consume about five liters of soy milk per day to encounter any feminine effects. It’s far more likely that the estrogen levels contained in beer hops would cause feminine characteristics in men than soy ever would[all referenced in my book Eat Grass Kick Ass Plant Based Done Right]. See the video Soy and Cancer on NutritionFacts.org.
People have been told that soy is an estrogen that causes breast and prostate cancer. It is a type of estrogen, but estrogen from soy is a plant source called phytoestrogen. It has the opposite effect of animal-based estrogen on humans. It competes with animal estrogen by blocking it from receptors, reducing breast and prostate cancer risk. Most of the confusion swirling around soy stems from the fact that the older studies were conducted on a different species, such as rodents. Years later, the opposite results were produced when the studies were performed on humans, but news and industry sources have been remiss in informing the public.
People often ask which is worse; a cheeseburger made with meat or a “plant-based” burger. We already know that plant-based is not the same as whole food plant-based. Go to Dr. Campbell’s site, NutritionStudies.org to compare the nutritional data at https://nutritionstudies.org/fake meats how do beyond and impossible burgers stack up from a health perspective? You will see that the popular “plant-based” burgers available today contain genetically modified ingredients, isolated proteins, high levels of processed oil, saturated fat, extremely high levels of sodium, starches, extracts, and chemicals. Both “plant-based” or in actuality, processed burgers and beef burgers promote cancer and a variety of inflammatory chronic diseases. Best advice is to eat non-GMO, whole food sources made from mostly plants with clean protein and phytonutrients like edamame, tofu, beans, lentils, nuts, seeds, and fermented sources like tempeh and miso.
Soy has not only been proven to reduce heart disease and be a cancer fighter but to have numerous other health benefits too. For example, studies in Japan performed on women who had two bowls of miso soup, with a total of about 1/2-1 teaspoon of salt daily, depending on the amount and type of miso, showed a five times lower risk of hypertension (high blood pressure). The average American consumes about 3,400 mg of salt (sodium) per day, nearly 50% more than is generally recommended. More than half of Americans are hypertensive and more than 20% more are unaware that they are. It is believed that the soy in miso may be countering the harmful effects of the sodium. In the June 2003 issue of the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, studies showed that Japanese women who consumed two bowls of miso soup per day also had lower breast cancer rates and cardiovascular disease. Not that miso is recommended, necessarily, but simply pointing out the benefits of soy in general.
Studies showed many beneficial effects for women who consumed soy and soy’s ability to fight cancer. Thousands of women in each study showed that when they ate soy, they lived longer, had lower cancer recurrence rates, and greater survivorship by about 30 to 40 percent.
Study reviews have led the FDA to conclude “that many soy products should be beneficial to cardiovascular and overall health because of soy’s high content of polyunsaturated fats, fiber, vitamins, minerals, and low content of saturated fat.” The FDA granted a health claim that “25 grams of soy(beans/legumes) per day should be part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol and may reduce the risk of heart disease, and by replacing soy for many of the other harmful animal products, overall human health is much improved.” The American Cancer Society also came to this conclusion about the benefits of soy.
Soybeans are for cows – not people.
My son was put on soy formula. I think goats milk would have been better from the research I have encountered. Folks do your research
on anything. I’ve worked in marketing & advertising.
Yes, read more a lot more about soy and don’t forget to search the countries of; Argentina, then Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador, India, Paraguay, Mexico,… and soy effects on small farmers (campesinos) and agriculture problems of the area… “Follow the Money” Soy is not un ethical business. Moreover is a business with deleterious consequences for human race, is not wise to feed soy to the cows, or pigs.
Grass is for cows.
I’ve been drinking soy milk for years coz I have an intolerance to milk. My eldest child (she’s 36 now) was put on prosobee, after I stopped breastfeeding, coz she had an allergy to cows milk. I have NEVER had an issue with soy milk. If it’s as toxic as they say, then isn’t it banned. There’s good and bad with everything. Even the nightshade vegs (eg potatoes, Tomatoes etc) have supposedly negatives too, coz they have natural nicotine in them. If we take notice of all these naysayers, we wouldn’t be able to eat or drink anything…..just saying
Cannot be banned as we have too many mouths to feed. This form of agriculture is also a source of money for many people, for others it’s culturally important. It’s like we know that many people suffer from cancer due to the amount of carcinogenic materials in vegetables, but vegetable production cannot be stopped see. It’s a question of socio-economic stability. There are positives and negatives to everything, we, as consumers, should just make the right choices.
Our stance here at WAPF is that we can feed the world, and well, using traditional and non-toxic methods of food production. Such methods are also profitable for the small family farms that produce such foods, sustaining local economies.
“Food, not lawns” is one relative slogan to the question of how to feed the world.
You are correct, it is up to us to make the choices necessary to provide good food, and consequently good health, for ourselves, our families, and the world!
We’ve been lied to about nicotine. It’s the sugars they soak the tobacco in that make cigarettes addictive. Our bodies actually have nicotine receptors. Per Dr. Bryan Ardis nicotine patches or gum help detox the body of venoms in the bioweapons and jabs. Research his podcasts and articles to find out amounts and more information.
I would agree with the statements on GMO unfermented soy, but
what is interesting is when I look at the statistics on breast cancer Japan doesn’t even come up in fact your odds of getting breast cancer in Japan is less than 3% yet they consume soy daily and have for thousands of years, but if someone from Japan comes to American and consumes GMO soy those odds increase by 35%,
Dr William Li, MD lectures on the benefits of Soy if you are fighting cancer, He is a cancer expert look him up he has quite an impressive Bio, also I noticed that MD Anderson which used to say no to Soy on their website for those fighting cancer but now has changed their position upon receiving new research on soy its the same research that Dr William Li MD is sharing,
I am a certified nutritionist and use Supplements made with properly grown and processed Soy with my clients to help them fight cancer and other health challenges and I have seen amazing results,
Hello,
Could you please link proof to studies for your claims?
Thank you
R
You want a real study, try totally quitting soy for 6 months, because this is how long it takes to leave your body, then totally gorge yourself with your favorite soy meal, if you can stand to eat it, then decide what you think of it, you will find out how disgusting and toxic it really is!!!
hi jack again
ive been using a high quality soy protein shake from pro cap las vegas
it has 7 gram protien in a serving.i also put some whey and a scoop of
collagen peptides.does thi sound ok? i also eat eggs ,butter ,fish. meat?
the pro cap P tastes real good please comment thanks
This would be much stronger if you provided references from scientific literature to support the points, I hope you consider updating this.
Have any of these commenters actually ever hand peeled one soya bean? It’s not easy and it will take you several minutes. To peel enough to make one cup of soy milk would take quite a few hours. My point being, if we were meant to drink and eat soy, I think the peeling process would be much easier. As simple as my theory is that’s what I run with. In my opinion it’s toxic.
Herb a Life protein drink mix and their Formula 1 meal replacement contain soy isolate; do you know if this type of soy is safe?