Soy - is it healthy?

[pigsnchins]

My mom told me she heard a doctor on a talk radio program say that soy is not as healthy as we think. That eating too much of it has been associated with thyroid problems. Supposedly, miso doesn't tend to have the negative assocations due to how it is processed.

Has anyone heard anything like this? My husband says it is just a bunch of meat eaters trying to make trouble. Anyway, I just thought I would check with the "experts"!

[Sabriel]

Lots of meat is processed with soy anyway. Just tell them you are darned if you eat meat and less so if you don't.

[CavySpirit]

"My husband says it is just a bunch of meat eaters trying to make trouble. "

Exactly. Let's put on a scale, the health pluses and minuses of meat vs. soy. No contest.

BTW, I am SOOOO Loving this VEAT brand of 'meat.' It's just fab!

[Susan9608]

I've read through some of the research on the "dangers" of soy. None of the results look very conclusive, for one thing, and the studies seem to be very small and not endorsed by any of the major health organizations in the US.

The upshot seems to be, from what I've read, that taking soy supplements, or rather isoflavone supplements (many of which are soy-derived), could possible worsen a pre-existing thyroid condition. Apparently some component of the isoflavone can latch onto iodine, preventing you from absorbing it.

Personally, I wouldn't worry too much about it. Almost all salt is iodized salt, and most people consume *way* more salt than they do soy.

[Johanna]

All I have heard is that soy formula for babies can lead to developmental problems. Who knows?

[Sabriel]

Ideally babies should be getting breast milk, not formula of any sort.

[pigsnchins]

I knew I was coming to the right place for information! Thanks!

[Susan9608]

Breast feeding, or even pumping breast milk to feed from a bottle, is not for everyone. You have to be very careful when you say things like that ("Ideally babies should be getting breast milk, not formula of any sort.") There are many, many reasons why a woman may choose, or be unable, to provide breast milk for her baby. It is a highly personal decision.

I agree that breast milk is best, in most cases, but it's not a decision for anyone but a mother to make. Saying things like that creates a lot of pressure, resentment, guilt, and stress for moms.

There was a reason formulas were invented in the first place; breastfeeding is not right for everyone.

[Jeanne]

Soy can cause problems if the person has an underlying condition. The oestrogens that are found in soy products can be problematic for certain women. I cannot eat large amounts of soymilk, tofu, soy-meats. I can eat miso and tempeh though.
So, it can cause problems. Meat, however, causes much more problems.

[Tatalp]

It seems like the main problem is thyroid problems, which is a major concer for me, because a hypothyroid problem runs in the women of my family, and I eat soy so much every day... But compared to the health problems meat causes, I"ll take soy any day. Anyway, since I heard about it, I've decided to cut down on the soy and try rice/almond milk, and try alternatives to soy meat(Although I don't even like meat imitations much any more. Just my soy dogs..)

[Josephine]

Anyone with any medical background will understand there are dangers to large amounts of soy. To what degree, we don't know yet. But the dangers are in the some of the very ways that soy is beneficial (esp. phytoestrogens). Hormones and phytoestrogens can be a good thing, especially if they can be substituted for other estrogen therapy. The risks of too much estrogen or phytoestrogens are indeed increased risks of cancer, especially for women (particularly breast, ovarian, or uterine cancers that are influenced by estrogens and phytoestrogens). Any woman who has taken any form of estrogen or HRT should know of these risks.

I think the key is to balance some soy products with other good sources of vegetarian protein. There are still more benefits to eating less meat or none and substituting the vegetarian diet done healthfully. Those that have history of reproductive cancers do need to be more calculated in their soy and estrogen intake.

[amyjane]

Josephine, I was just getting ready to type out what you have already said. Very nicely put.

[Sabriel]

I undersatnd the need for formula very well. I was one of those babies that make a market for it as I wouldn't drink breast milk no matter how hard my mom tried. :P I don't blame her for it, but it would have been foolish for her not to try with my siblings as they all took to it well.

[Susan W]

One day I decided to try to figure this out. I spent all day reading abstracts / papers of studies that looked at soy to try to figure out the truth about it. I didn't really get anywhere, even with not going the route of mainstream media (magazines that fluff up the story and such), because at the end of it I'd see that soy companies paid for a lot of the studies which stated how great soy was...its really hard to find out the truth about anything these days. Basically, after reading until I was sick of it, I decided on about what Josephine said...its not so good in large amounts, a little probably won't hurt you, a little will even be good for you if you're going through menopause, and its highly questionable whether its good for babies and growing children. (I'm not saying don't use it for babies, as stated above, sometimes you may have to, I'm only saying the studies I read made it questionable).

[weaseldropping]

I have a fairly irritating dairy intoleance, for example if I eat cheese in a sandwich I know not to eat ice cream as well the same week. I moved to Soya milk extensively once I was diagnosed, and was fine for about six months, then started to feel a bit "coldy" and bunged up. After anothe few weeks I had appalling sinusitus, was off work and in a lot of pain all the time. I went back for more tests and found I had developed an intolerance to soya products, which is now (3 years later) more acute than the original dairy problem!

I would say that soy is probably fine for most people, whilst taking into account the other points which have been made in the thread, but be careful and use in moderation. Be aware, as well, that many loaves of bread are pumped up with soy flour - it is very easy to eat it without realising!

Just for info - my premature son was diagnosed with multiple food intolerances as well at four months old (before weaning) which included dairy and soy. This meant I was stuck with breast feeding until he was completely off milk altogether at about 14 months. He was quite big for his age, after a rocky start, and I would get so sick of people making nasty comments about how old that child was, and why was he still breast feeding when he had teeth etc. The negative attitude in the UK is part of the reason I only have one child. Can you believe that my mother-in-law had many goes at me - she said it was uncivilised and now we have formula there is no need for it!

[Susan W]

Jeez! I'm sorry to hear you had so much trouble from "loved" ones. I'll never understand how someone who is supposed to care about you can be so mean.
...No, on second thought, I DO understand. I treated other people like dirt when I was a kid because I was selfish (as children tend to be until they learn better). There's just no excuse for an adult to still act like that.

[Susan9608]

That's good that your child was able to tolerate breastmilk ... a lot of babies that have a dairy or lactose intolerance can't even tolerate breastmilk. And if they have a soy allergy as well, it makes feeding them very interesting.