Soy - Bad Soy

[Guest guest]

The issue of soy came up recently, and I'll add some more info that

came out in a HSI Alert this morning.

According to a report from NutraIngredients-USA, soy ignorance is high.

A recent survey of more than 2,000 U.S. adults reaped these results:

• More than half say they know very little about soy

• Less than 20 percent say they consume soy products every week

• More than 30 percent say they consume soy products every month

• About one-third say they've never even tried a soy product

• Nearly 85 percent say they can name at least one nutritional

benefit of soy

Don't know much about soy? No problem. You can visit the online Soy

Museum (thesoydaily.com) where you'll learn, for instance, that Henry

Ford was a pioneer in bringing soy to the West. You can even see a

photo of Henry wearing a soy fiber suit.

And those folks who say they can name at least one nutritional benefit

of soy – I'll bet 90 percent of them mention protein. This has been

soy's big selling point for decades: protein without meat. And that's

one of the key reasons it's been confused with health food – because

many vegetarians rely on soy for protein intake.

Ironically, these health conscious vegetarians who knock back loads of

unfermented soy products are probably doing their health more harm

than good.

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The joy of fermentation

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In previous e-Alerts, HSI Panelist Allan Spreen, M.D., has noted that

the phytates in soy actually impede absorption of protein and four key

minerals: calcium, magnesium, iron, and zinc. But the phytates are

deactivated when soy is fermented.

Dr. Spreen: " Tempeh, miso, soy sauce made by the traditional method

(most in the U.S. is not), and a few other forms are the only ones

that qualify, and we don't see them much around here. "

Several years ago, Dr. Spreen gave me a quick education about the

truth of soy when he sent me a copy of a groundbreaking article titled

" The Ploy of Soy " by Sally Fallon and G Enig, Ph.D., of the

Weston A. Price Foundation (a pro-raw dairy group). In just a few

paragraphs, Fallon and Enig put the nutritional realities of soy

consumption into perspective – a perspective you won't find anywhere

in the mainstream. Here are a few of the key points they make:

• Soybeans contain " antinutrients " that inhibit enzymes needed

for protein digestion and amino acid uptake

• Soybeans contain hemaglutinin, a substance that promotes the

clotting of red blood cells

• Soybean hemaglutinin and enzyme inhibitors are deactivated

during the fermentation process

• Enzyme inhibitors are reduced in bean curd and tofu,

but not completely eliminated

• When vegetarians substitute dairy products and meat with

bean curd and tofu, they may risk mineral deficiencies

• Fermented soy products – such as miso and tempeh –

provide nutrients that are easily absorbed

Soy intake may also increase kidney stone risk. A 2001 study published

in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, showed how

soybeans, tofu, and commercially processed soy products – especially

textured soy protein – contain extremely high levels of oxalate, a

compound that binds with calcium in the kidneys, increasing the risk

of kidney stone development.

It can't be said often enough: Soy is not health food.

For more eye opening details about soy, you can find " The Ploy of Soy "

on the Weston A. Price web site: westonaprice.org.

Chuck