Letter to the Editor: Reconsidering Soy

by Gayle Eversole, DHom, Ph.D., MH, RN, from the March 2003 newsletter

Soy seems to be a big shelf-space resident at the co-op. Soy is just everywhere. As soy gains more and more popularity through industry advertising, I am moved once again to raise a voice of concern. As long ago as 1966 there was considerable research on the harmful substances in soybeans. Today, it is hard to find articles that claim soy is anything short of a miracle-food.

Soy, like canola, has some very interesting characteristics and effects on living systems. For example, it forms latex-like substances that agglutinate the red blood corpuscles. Soy and canola antagonize the central and peripheral nervous system. An additional hazard of canola is that it is too monounsaturated and has a component, that at 2% concentration, is a toxic substance to the liver. Chemicals in soy have been identified as increased risks for the risk of breast cancer in women, brain damage in both men and women, and abnormalities in infants, as reported by two USDA scientists. The "poster bean of the 90s" may shrink the brain, a problem associated with Alzheimer's.

Other soy concerns have been identified, and here are a few:

• Two separate studies, one in animals and the other in humans, suggest that a diet high in soybeans and other legumes during pregnancy and breastfeeding may have a subtle but long-term impact on the development of children.
• Pregnant women who ingest a large amount of soy increase the risk of in-utero exposure to genistein and increased incidence of breast tumors.
• Soy, like its botanically related cousin the peanut, can be responsible for severe, potentially fatal, cases of food allergy, particularly in children with asthma who are also very sensitive to peanuts. It is once of the most highly allergic foods.
• Supplements that contain concentrated phytoestrogens—plant-based estrogens found in soy—do not appear to improve mood, memory or menopause symptoms in women over age 45.
• Environmental scientist, Dr Mike Fitzpatrick, warns about the risk of thyroid disease in infants fed soy formulas, high soy consumers and users of isoflavone supplements. Soy is known to suppress thyroid function (thyroid problems are found currently in 68 - 90 percent of people, which may mask serious health conditions).

Contrary to industry prophets, Asians eat very little soy, and it has never been a staple there. A study of the history of soy use in Asia shows that the poor used it during times of extreme food shortage, and only when the soybeans were carefully prepared (e.g. by lengthy fermentation) to destroy the soy toxins.

Perhaps this information will help you make more informed decisions about the food you eat.

Read another opinion about soy.

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