the dark side of soy

8/12/2019 The Dark Side of Soy

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The Dark Side of Soy

Mary Vance TerrainUtne Reader July / August 2007

As someone who is consciousof her health, I spent ! years culti"ating a"egetarian diet# I too$ ti%e to plan and &alance %eals that included productssuch as soy %il$, soy yogurt, tofu, and 'hic$(n patties# I pored o"er la&elsloo$ing for )ords I couldn(t pronounce**occasionally one or t)o )ould pop up#+oy protein isolate -reat. They("e isolated the protein fro% the soy&ean to%a$e it %ore concentrated# ydrolyed soy protein I ne"er successfullyrationalied that one, &ut I )asn(t too )orried# After all, in 111 the ood and3rug Ad%inistration 43A5 appro"ed la&eling I found on nearly e"ery soyproduct I purchased6 (3iets lo) in saturated fat and cholesterol that include 2gra%s of soy protein a day %ay reduce the ris$ of heart disease#( +oyingredients )eren(t only safe**they )ere &eneficial#

After years of consu%ing "arious for%s of soy nearly e"ery day, I feltreasona&ly fit, &ut so%e)here along the line I(d stopped %enstruating# I couldn(tfigure out )hy %y sto%ach &eca%e so upset after I ate eda%a%e or )hy I )asoften %oody and &loated# It didn(t occur to %e at the ti%e to 8uestion soy, heartprotector and %iracle food#

9hen I &egan studying holistic health and nutrition, I $ept running across ris$sassociated )ith eating soy# :ndocrine disruption 'hec$# 3igesti"e pro&le%s'hec$# I researched soy(s deleterious effects on thyroid, fertility, hor%ones, se;dri"e, digestion, and e"en its potential to contri&ute to certain cancers# ore"ery study that pro"ed a connection &et)een soy and reduced disease ris$another cropped up to challenge the clai%s# 9hat )as going on

(+tudies sho)ing the dar$ side of soy date &ac$ 00 years,( says clinicalnutritionist


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paying attention# Geople can de"elop sensiti"ity to a food that has antigens or&acteria not originally in the food chain, as is the case )ith -M foods#(

Het a"oiding -M soy doesn(t %ean all is )ell, 3aniel says6 (Dne 8uestion I getall the ti%e is, 9hat if I only eat organic soy( The assu%ption is that -M soy

is pro&le%atic and organic is fine# 'ertainly, organic is &etter, &ut the &otto%line is that soy&eans naturally contain plant estrogens, to;ins, and antinutrients,and you can(t re%o"e those#(

The highest ris$ is for infants )ho are fed soy for%ula# (It(s the only thing they(reeating, they(re "ery s%all, and they(re at a $ey stage de"elop%entally,( says3aniel# (The estrogens in soy )ill affect the hor%onal de"elop%ent of thesechildren, and it )ill certainly affect their gro)ing &rains, reproducti"e syste%s,and thyroids#( +oy for%ula also contains large a%ounts of %anganese, )hichhas &een lin$ed to attention deficit disorder and neuroto;icity in infants# TheIsraeli health %inistry recently issued an ad"isory stating that infants should

a"oid soy for%ula altogether#

Antinutrients in soy &loc$ eny%es needed for digestion, and naturally occur*ring phytates &loc$ a&sorption of essential %inerals# This is %ost )orriso%e for"egans and "egetarians )ho eat soy as their %ain source of protein, and for)o%en in %enopause )ho up their soy inta$e through supple%ents#

+oy contains phytoche%icals**plant nutrients )ith disease*fighting acti"ity**called isofla"ones# +tudies clai% isofla"ones can %i%ic the &ody(s o)nestrogens, raising a )o%an(s estrogen le"els, )hich fall after %enopause,causing hot flashes and other sy%pto%s# Dn the other hand, isofla"ones %ayalso &loc$ the &ody(s estrogens, )hich can help reduce high estrogen le"els,therefore reducing ris$ for &reast cancer or uterine cancer &efore %enopause#4igh estrogen le"els ha"e &een lin$ed to cancers of the reproducti"e syste% in)o%en#5

Although soy(s isofla"ones %ay ha"e an adaptogenic effect 4contri&uting to anestrogen*&oosting or *&loc$ing effect )here needed5, they also ha"e thepotential to pro%ote hor%one*sensiti"e cancers in so%e people# +tudies on theeffects of isofla"ones on hu%an estrogen le"els are conflicting, and it(s possi&lethat they affect people differently# In %en, soy has &een sho)n to lo)er

testosterone le"els and se; dri"e, according to 3aniel#Bau%an &elie"es processed soy foods are pro&le%atic &ut %aintains that soyhas &eneficial hor%one*%ediating effects# (Geople are largely con"enience*dri"en,( he says# (9e(re loo$ing at this )hole processed*food con"enience%ar$et and )e(re %a$ing generaliations a&out a plant# Is soy the pro&le%, or isit the handling and pac$aging and processing of the plant that(s the pro&le%

(Gri%ary sources of food are a good thing# Dnce there )as a &ean, &ut then itgot coo$ed and s8ueeed and the pulp )as separated out, and it )as heatedand processed for &etter shelf life and %outh feel# +oy %il$ is second or third

le"el in ter%s of processing#(


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Bau%an(s eating*for*health approach calls for a "ariety of natural and seasonalunprocessed )hole foods, including soy in %oderation, tailored to indi"idual&ioche%istry and sensiti"ities# (Using soy as part of a diet can &ring relief forperi%enopause, for e;a%ple,( he says# (Thro) out the soy and you thro) outthe isofla"ones#( 4It is possi&le to o&tain plant estrogens to a lesser e;tent fro%

other foods, such as li%a &eans or fla;#5 (The literature is e;tensi"e on the&enefits of soy, and that should al)ays &e stated, Fust as the haards should &e#That(s science# These studies are not ridiculous or contri"ed, &ut ta$e a loo$ atthe%# 9ho(s funding the%( as$s Bau%an#

(There are a lot of pro&le%s )ith these studies,( 3aniel says, adding that the111 heart health clai% )as an industry*funded initiati"e# (:"en if there ispositi"e infor%ation, and e"en if these studies are )ell designed, )e need to)eigh that against the fact that )e("e also got really good studies sho)ing thedangers# Better safe than sorry is the precautionary principle# Gossi&le &ene*fitsare far out)eighed &y pro"en ris$s#(

3aniel and Bau%an agree on the &enefits of "ariety# (My e;perience as aclinical nutritionist is that people )ho ha"e a "aried diet tend not to get intotrou&le,( says 3aniel#

(9e li$e to de%onie certain foods in this society,( says Bau%an# (If you )ant tofind a fault, you(ll find it# The &otto% line is6 9hat is a healthy diet(

Reprinted fromTerrain (Spring 2007), published by Berkeley's !ology "enter#$edi!%ted to fine fe%ture &riting %bout enironment%l issues,Terrain isdistributed free throughout orthern "%liforni%# Subs!riptions *+-yr# (. issues)from 2.0 S%n /%blo e#, Berkeley, "17023 &&e!ology!enter#org-terr%in#

Soy 'Nuggets'

Tofu+oy %il$, curdled and pressed into cu&es of "arying fir%ness# Dften used as

%eat su&stitute# A nonfer%ented product, tofu contains antinutrients, )hich can&loc$ a&sorption of essential %inerals#

Misoer%ented soy&ean paste, used in soups and sauces# Rich in pro&iotics, good&acteria that aid "ita%in a&sorption# Miso is high in sodiu% &ut is consideredone of the healthiest soy products#

Soybean OilTo e;tract oil, soy&eans are superheated, ground, pressed, %i;ed )ithche%icals, and )ashed in a centrifuge# +oy&ean oil accounts for 0 percent of

all li8uid oils consu%ed annually in the United +tates#
http://www.ecologycenter.org/terrainhttp://www.ecologycenter.org/terrain


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Soy MilkA processed &e"erage %ade of ground soy&eans %i;ed )ith )ater and &oiled,)hich re%o"es so%e to;ins# +ugar is added to i%pro"e fla"or# An eight*ounceser"ing contains up to ! %illigra%s of isofla"ones, )hich %ay change estrogenle"els and hor%onal function#

Snack Foodighly processed, a source of trans fat# 'hec$ your la&els6 Gotato chips, tortillacrisps, and %any other deep*fried things ha"e &een coo$ed in soy oil**straightup or partially hydrogenated#

Tempeh9hole soy&eans pressed into loa"es, )hich are then fer%ented# Dften used asa %eat su&stitute# Te%peh is rich in B "ita%ins, %inerals, and o%ega*! fattyacids#

Fast FoodA source of hidden soy# Grocessed soy proteins e;tend so%e &urgers andchic$en 4nuggets, patties, e"en (grilled &reasts(5# Buns contain soy oil and to alesser e;tent soy flour and lecithin# +oy oil also appears in dressings and dips,in A%erican (cheese,( and as the =o# 2 ingredient in fries# There(s e"en soy inBig Mac(s secret sauce6 +oy&ean oil nets top &illing#

damame9hole soy&eans, co%%only &oiled in the pod and eaten as a snac$# Mostco%%ercial eda%a%e has &een preheated to %a$e digestion easier, &ut it stillcontains antinutrients#

o) Much Is Too Much

'linical nutritionist


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that this is typical of %enopause# In fact, the sy%pto%s are al%ost entirelyco%ing fro% that change in their diet, )hich had to do )ith soy#

$ow much soy does the a"erage person consume in a day#+o%eone on a Fun$*food diet is getting soy flour in the fast*food ha%&urger &un,

soy protein in the &urger itself, and soy oil in the friesE soy is in e"ery one ofthese products &ecause it(s cheap and a&undant# Hou(ll find soy hidden in so%any foods, and s%all 8uantities add up#

Geople often start &y drin$ing a lot of soy %il$# If they are ta$ing supple%ents,they can &e getting really high doses# :"en scientists )or$ing for the soyindustry )ill say they support soy food &ut do not support use of soysupple%ents# It is so dangerous at such a high le"el, and it(s har%ing %anypeople#

$ow does marketing affect soy consumption#

It(s "ery %uch a&out %ar$eting# If )e loo$ &ac$, the soy&ean )as used in thiscountry for soy oil# They ta$e apart the &ean and ta$e out the oil and turn it into%argarines and shortenings and all those li8uid "egeta&le oils# Dnce the oil isout, )hat they had left o"er )as a )hole lot of protein#

9hat(s happened is that so%e of the things they tried to get rid of they(re no)%ar$eting as things that can pre"ent cancer or pre"ent pro&le%s# They ta$eso%ething that(s &ad and turn it into so%ething that(s good# :"ery ti%e theyre%o"e a co%ponent of soy, they ha"e another thing they can sell#

In


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!hat pro"oked the %sraeli health ministry warning on soy foods#The Israeli health %inistry issued an ad"isory saying that &a&ies should not getsoy for%ula and that children under should eat soy no %ore than once a day,three ti%es a )ee$ %a;i%u%# Adults should e;ercise caution due to thead"erse effects on fertility and increased &reast cancer ris$#

It started a fe) years ago )hen se"eral &a&ies )ere hospitalied )ith se"ere&eri&eri and &rain da%age &ecause of a soy infant for%ula that )as deficient in"ita%in B# The %anufacturer had gotten the idea that if soy is such a perfectfood, already high in B "ita%ins, )hy should they add e;tra B "ita%ins Theydidn(t understand that &a&ies need added B and that processing affects"ita%ins# =ational alerts )ere issued, the product )as recalled, and all the&a&ies on soy for%ula i%%ediately got inFections of B#

That incident caused the Israeli health %inistry to start loo$ing into soy for%ula#They for%ed a co%%ittee including to;icologists, oncologists, pediatricians, and

other e;perts, they re"ie)ed literature, and they decided there are so%e ris$s#The Israeli soy industry has protested %ightily and threatened to sue thego"ern%ent, &ut the health %inistry %aintained its position#

$ow much soy is OI(ll use the nu%&ers the Israelis used# But, of course, so%e people are allergicto soy, so%e are sensiti"e to soy, so%e ha"e thyroid pro&le%s already# Thosepeople should pro&a&ly a"oid it# Then there(s the issue of )hat types of soy)e(re tal$ing a&out# I still enFoy %iso soup#

3o you thin$ )e should ha"e a )arning la&el here in the United +tates

That(s the ne;t step# I )ill &e in"ol"ed )ith three petitions to the ood and 3rugAd%inistration 43A5# The first )ill petition to re%o"e fro% la&els the currenthealth clai% that soy pre"ents heart disease# It(s &een on foods since=o"e%&er 111, and soy food sales )ent fro% less than > &illion to >? &illion@annually &et)een 111 and 200?# @In 200 the A%erican eart Associationretracted its position on soy# They(re no) saying that soy does not pre"ent heartdisease or lo)er cholesterol# +econd, )e(re going to petition the 3A to re%o"ethe -RA+ @generally recognied as safe status for soy protein isolate# The thirdpetition )ill ha"e to do )ith putting )arning la&els on soy foods#

Do you think that labeling will e"er be a reality#9e(re hopeful that our petitions )ill )or$, &ut )e(re also &ringing attention to theissues# 9hat a%aes %e is that so %any "egetarians and "egans )ill say thatthe 3A )ould ne"er ha"e appro"ed a (soy pre"ents heart disease( clai%unless there )as good strong e"idence# ello. This is the sa%e 3A that ga"eus Vio;; and asparta%e# I(% sure in Ber$eley in the (0s there )ere littleco%panies that %ade tofu and soy %il$, and people still &elie"e that soy is that$ind of food# 9hat they(re not getting is that )e ha"e Big Ghar%a, and no) )eha"e Big +oy#

AlterNet/ByTara Lohan

OMMNT NO!(
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The War on Soy: Why the 'Miracle Food' May Be aHealth Risk and Environmental Nihtmare

Vegetarians aren't the only ones who should be concerned; there's soy in justabout everything you eat these days -- including hamburgers, mac 'n cheese

and salad dressing.November !, !!" !

These days, you can get soy "ersions of Fust a&out any %eat ** fro% hot dogs to &uffalo )ings# If

you(re lactose*intolerant you can still enFoy soy ice*crea% and soy %il$ on your cereal# If you(re

out for a hi$e and need a 8uic$ &oost of energy, you can ni&&le on soy candy &ars#

+oy is a lucrati"e industry# According to+oyfoods Association of =orth A%erica, fro% 112 to

200, sales of soy foods ha"e increased fro% >!00 %illion to >? &illion# ro% sales nu%&ers to%edical endorse%ents, it )ould see% that soy has reached a $ind of %iracle food status#

In 2000 the A%erican eart Association ga"e soy the thu%&s up and the 3A proclai%ed6

K3iets lo) in saturated fat and cholesterol that include 2 gra%s of soy protein a day %ay

reduce the ris$ of heart disease#K D"er the course of the last decade %edical professionals

ha"etouted its &enefitsin fighting not Fust cardio"ascular disease, &ut cancers, osteoporosis

and dia&etes#

But soy(s glory days %ay &e co%ing to an end# =e) research is 8uestioning its health &enefits

and e"en pointing out so%e potential ris$s# Although definiti"e e"idence %ay &e %any years

do)n the road, the A%erican eart Association has 8uietly )ithdra)n its support#Andso%e

groupsare )aging an all*out )ar, )arning that soy can lead to certain $inds of cancers, lo)ered

testosterone le"els, and early*onset pu&erty in girls#

Most of the soy eaten today is also genetically %odified, )hich %ay pose another set of health

ris$s# The en"iron%ental i%plications of soy production, including %assi"e deforestation,

increased use of pesticides and threats to )ater and soil, are pro"iding %ore fodder for soy(s

detractors#

All of this has %any people )ondering if they should e"en &e eating it at all# And you are %ost

li$ely eating it# :"en if you(re not a "egetarian or an a"id tofu fan, there is a good chance you(re

still eating soy# RaF Gatel, author ofStuffed %nd St%red, e;plains that soy is no) an ingredient

in three*8uarters of processed food on the %ar$et and Fust a&out e"erything you(d find in a fast

food restaurant# It(s used as filler in ha%&urgers, as "egeta&le oil and an e%ulsifier# It(s in salad

dressing, %acaroni and cheese, and chic$en nuggets#
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K:"en if you read e"ery la&el and a"oid card&oard &o;es, you are li$ely to find soy in your

supple%ents and "ita%ins 4loo$ out for "ita%in : deri"ed fro% soy oil5, in foods such as canned

tuna, soups, sauces, &reads, %eats 4inFected under poultry s$in5, and chocolate, and in pet food

and &ody*care products,K )rote Mary Vance for Terr%in 9%g%:ine# KIt hides in tofu dogs under

aliases such as te;tured "egeta&le protein, hydrolyed "egeta&le protein, and lecithin**)hich is

trou&ling, since the processing re8uired to hydrolye soy protein into "egeta&le protein produces

e;citoto;ins such as gluta%ate 4thin$ M+-5 and aspartate 4a co%ponent of asparta%e5, )hich

cause &rain*cell death#K

$ealth )isks or )ewards#

KI gre) up in ouston on po( &oys and the W%ll Street ;ourn%l,K saidRo&yn D(Brien#KI trusted

our food syste%#K But all that changed )hen one of her $ids de"eloped a food allergy and

D(Brien &egan doing research to find out )hat(s actually in our food and the co%panies &ehind

it#

er )or$ led to the &oo$,The 6nhe%lthy Truth


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Another issue )ith soy is its high a%ounts of isofla"ones, )hich can &e good and &ad 4hence

the dou&le*edged s)ord5# Isofla"ones are a po)erful antio;idant, )rites Ro&yn D(Brien inher

&oo$, that can help &oost i%%unity# They also i%pact estrogen le"els and ha"e &een sho)n to

ha"e positi"e effects on easing sy%pto%s of %enopause# KBut that plus can also &e a %inus,K

)rites D(Brien, K&ecause isofla"ones( "ery a&ility to &oost estrogen production can also pose

haards to our health# or e;a%ple, the 3A scientists point out, during pregnancy, isofla"ones

could &oost estrogen le"els e"en higher, ()hich could &e a ris$ factor for a&nor%al &rain and

reproducti"e tract de"elop%ent#(K There is also a ris$ of &reast and other reproducti"e cancers

for )o%en and the potential for testicular cancer and infertility in %en#

9hile there )as %uch ne)s a&out the A%erican eart Association endorsing soy in 2000, there

)as little attention gi"en )hen the AA changed its %ind and 8uietly )ithdre) its pro*soy clai%s

in 200, D(Brien points out# +he also learned that they )ere not the only ones )ho e;pressed

concerned a&out soy# A study in the British %edical Fournal >%n!etin 11 )arned of the effects

of soy in infant for%ula# The study found &a&ies had le"els of isofla"ones that )ere fi"e to 0

ti%es higher than )o%en ta$ing soy supple%ents for %enopause# The effects in girls could &e

early*onset pu&erty, o&esity, &reast and reproducti"e cancers# Boys could face testicular

cancer, undescended testicles and infertility# Additionally, D(Brien says, a 200! British study

conducted &y -ideon Cac$ of +t# Mary(s ospital at I%perial 'ollege Condon follo)ed ?,000

children fro% the )o%& through age and found that $ids )ho had &een gi"en soy for%ula as

infants see%ed al%ost three ti%es as li$ely to de"elop a peanut allergy later on#

As if all this )eren(t distur&ing enough, there(s also another reason to &e alar%ed ** %ost of the

soy )e eat is genetically %odified to )ithstand increasing doses of )eed*$illing her&icides, and

really, )e ha"e no idea )hat the long*ter% affects of that %ight &e# +o, )hat(s a person to do

+tay a)ay fro% soy as %uch as possi&le, )hich also %eans a"oiding processed foods# And,

e"en if )e choose not to eat those things, so%e of us %ay end up getting the% any)ay# KThere

are different sales channels that these co%panies are using to sell soy )ith little regard for the

cost to people do)n the road,K said D(Brien# K+oy that is not used in grocery stores, in

restaurants, or consu%ed &y li"estoc$, is disposed of in school lunch progra%s, hospitals, and

prisons#K

Dne organiation, the 9eston A# Grice oundation, is actually engaged in a la)suiton &ehalf of

Illinois state prisoners )ho say they(re eating a diet %ade of largely soy protein# KIn their letters,

the prisoners ha"e descri&ed deli&erate indifference to a %yriad of serious health pro&le%s

caused &y the large a%ounts of soy in the diet,K the 9AG oundation )rites#K'o%plaints

include chronic and painful constipation alternating )ith de&ilitating diarrhea, "o%iting after
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eating, sharp pains in the digesti"e tract after consu%ing soy, passing out after soy*&ased

%eals, heart palpitations, rashes, acne, inso%nia, panic attac$s, depression and sy%pto%s of

hypothyroidis%, such as lo) &ody te%perature 4feeling cold all the ti%e5, &rain fog, fatigue,

)eight gain, fre8uent infections and an enlarged thyroid gland#K

9hile the soy industry has profited fro% the )idespread adoption of its products here in the

United +tates, other de"eloped countries ha"e ta$en a %ore precautionary approach and not

allo)ed soy to &eco%e as per"asi"e in their food supplies in an effort to protect the health of

their citiens, says D(Brien# But it(s not Fust people )ho are at ris$# The deleterious effects of soy

can start )ith the seed#

*oodbye )ainforests+ $ello )oundup

-lenn Bec$recently chastised Al -orea&out his %eat eating, telling hi% that if he really cared

a&out the planet he should put do)n his &urger and pic$ up so%e Tofur$ey# But unfortunately,

it(s not that si%ple# Increasing e"idence is sho)ing that soy production is also catastrophic for

the en"iron%ent# Just li$e a &eef &urger, a soy*&ased "eggie patty %ay also &e leading to

deforestation, )ater depletion, and pesticide pollution# But it(s also i%portant to note that the

"ast %aFority of soy produced glo&ally isn(t used for tofu and "eggie sausage ** it(s actually used

to fatten li"estoc$ and create &iofuels 4so, yeah, you %ay still )ant to put do)n the &urger5#

K+oy is a really se;y cropE it(s fantastic# It(s nitrogen fi;ing, it(s full of proteinE it(s "ery rich and

fle;i&le,K RaF Gatel said in an inter"ie))ith =e) A%erica Media# KThe tragedy is that the )ay

)e gro) it today has turned a &lessing into a curse &ecause the )ay that soy agriculture )or$s

is %onocultural, )hich %eans it ta$es o"er large parts of land# In Brail, that %eans the 'errado

and the rainforest in the A%aon, and they are draining the )ater that is &eneath that land#

There are e"en so%e soy and &iofuel plantations in Brail )here the International Ca&or

Drganiation says there are ?0,000 sla"es )or$ing today# +la"es. In Brail, producing &iofuels

and soy#K

Brail is one of the leading soy producers in the )orld, second only to the U#+# and poised to

8uic$ly %o"e to the top spot# And o"erall, the gro)th of the )orld %ar$et is huge, )ith glo&al

production dou&ling o"er the past 20 years and 20 %illion tons produced a year#

But it has also led to pro&le%s# 'ountries across Catin A%erica, including Argentina, Garaguay

and Boli"ia, are e;periencing en"iron%ental pro&le%s si%ilar to Brail(s# Rainforests are

cleared, car&on e%issions increase, indigenous and s%all far%ers are displaced, a8uifers are

suc$ed dry, roads are &uilt through sensiti"e ecosyste%s, and hea"y pesticide use threatens
http://www.alternet.org/blogs/environment/143807/peta_teams_up_with_glenn_beck_to_bash_al_gore/http://www.alternet.org/blogs/environment/143807/peta_teams_up_with_glenn_beck_to_bash_al_gore/http://www.alternet.org/blogs/environment/143807/peta_teams_up_with_glenn_beck_to_bash_al_gore/http://news.newamericamedia.org/news/view_article.html?article_id=cbd335a05ca74eabbee00f96c7c1f3echttp://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/11/factory-farms-deforestation-subsidies-soy.phphttp://www.alternet.org/blogs/environment/143807/peta_teams_up_with_glenn_beck_to_bash_al_gore/http://news.newamericamedia.org/news/view_article.html?article_id=cbd335a05ca74eabbee00f96c7c1f3echttp://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/11/factory-farms-deforestation-subsidies-soy.php


12/23

)ater)ays, soils and the health of locals# And as )ith all industrial %onocultural far%ing, the

rich 4Monsanto, 'argill, and Bunge5 get richer and the poor get poorer#

KThe soy (gold rush( has attracted fierce co%petition for land, leading to "iolence and %urder,K

Marianne Betterly su%%aried in9%riri 9%g%:ine#Kundreds of acres of rainforest are &eing

cleared e"eryday, often &y sla"e (de&t( la&orers, to %a$e roo% for %ore soy plantations#K

+o, )e %ay get our cheap &urgers and a deluge of soy*infused foods, &ut at great cost#

Adding to all these en"iron%ental pro&le%s )ith soy is the fact that %uch of the )orld(s soy

4and percent of the U#+ crop5 is genetically engineered# +ince the early (10s far%ers in the

United +tates 4and no) across the )orld5 ha"e &een using Monsanto(s Roundup Ready soy

that is genetically engineered to &e resistant to the her&icide Roundup, )hich is li&erally

sprayed on the crop to $ill )eeds#

Much of the pro%ise of -: crops )as that they(d lead to the use of less pesticides and

her&icides, )hich threaten &oth hu%an and en"iron%ental health# But that hasn(t actually

panned out# KBecause her&icide*tolerant crops are designed to )ithstand application of )eed

$illers, far%ers can apply large a%ounts of pesticides )ithout fear of har%ing their crops# The

U#+# has seen %ore than a *fold increase in the use of glyphosate, or Monsanto(s Roundup

her&icide, on %aFor crops fro% 11? to 200,K'o*Dp A%erica reported#

And %ore da%ning e"idence has Fust &een released#A ne) studythat Fust ca%e out this )ee$

funded &y a coalition of non*go"ern%ental organiations including the Union of 'oncerned

+cientists, the 'enter for ood +afety, the 'ornerstone 'a%paign, 'alifornians for -:*ree

Agriculture, -reenpeace International and Rural Ad"ance%ent und International U+A, found

that -: corn, soy&ean and cotton crops ha"e increased the use of )eed*$illing her&icides in the

U#+# &y !! %illion pounds fro% 11 to 200#

The study )ill surely &e acco%panied &y %ore alar%s &ells set off &y s%all far%ers,

en"iron%entalists and organic supporters# And it )ill &e one %ore &attle in the )ar against soy

that(s &eing fought on &oth health and en"iron%ental fronts# Gerhaps it )ill %a$e people thin$

t)ice &efore eating soy products, processed food and e"en %ost %eat#

L*

G : R + D = A C : A C T EcoSalon/By#arah $rani
http://www.mariri.net/content/view/16/31/http://www.mariri.net/content/view/16/31/http://www.mariri.net/content/view/16/31/http://www.mariri.net/content/view/16/31/http://www.greenamericatoday.org/pubs/realgreen/articles/gmofoods.cfmhttp://www.greenamericatoday.org/pubs/realgreen/articles/gmofoods.cfmhttp://www.greenamericatoday.org/pubs/realgreen/articles/gmofoods.cfmhttp://www.greenamericatoday.org/pubs/realgreen/articles/gmofoods.cfmhttp://www.alternet.org/blogs/environment/144027/sorry_monsanto%2C_you're_wrong%3A_more_ge_crops_mean_more_pesticides/http://www.ecosalon.com/http://www.ecosalon.com/http://www.alternet.org/authors/sarah-iranihttp://www.mariri.net/content/view/16/31/http://www.greenamericatoday.org/pubs/realgreen/articles/gmofoods.cfmhttp://www.greenamericatoday.org/pubs/realgreen/articles/gmofoods.cfmhttp://www.alternet.org/blogs/environment/144027/sorry_monsanto%2C_you're_wrong%3A_more_ge_crops_mean_more_pesticides/http://www.ecosalon.com/http://www.alternet.org/authors/sarah-irani


13/23

OMMNT NO!(

"s Soy the Ticket to #ood Health or "n$ertility% Here'sthe Scoo&

#ome tout soy %roducts as a %anacea &or health and wellness, while others

swear that soy is a sure ticet to in&ertility and (man boobs.( )hat are the&acts*

+ctober , !!" !

The topic of soy can create a &ig de&ate a%ong healthy fol$s, and the "ie)points can &e

e;tre%e# 9ho $ne) a hu%&le green &ean could &e so contro"ersial +o%e tout soy products

as a panacea for health and )ellness, )hile others s)ear that soy is a sure tic$et to infertility

and K%an &oo&sK# 9hat are the facts

Aren't Asian cultures particularly healthy because of consumption of soy#

Asians don(t actually eat as %uch soy as )e thin$ ** only a&out 0*! gra%s per day# In

contrast, a cup of tofu or soy %il$ contains o"er 200 gra%s of soy# Besides, the %ost co%%on

soy foods in Asia are fer%ented products such as te%peh, %iso and shoyu 4soy sauce5, )hile

%ost 9esterners eat unfer%ented, highly processed "ersions of soy# Unfer%ented soy contains

eny%e inhi&itorsthat &loc$ protein digestion 4a%ong other things )e(ll get to &elo)5#

%sn't soy healthy because it's a natural plant product#

Most soy foods are highly processedand &ear "ery little rese%&lance to the natural soy&ean

4thin$ soy hotdogs or TVG ** te;tured "egeta&le protein5# Just &ecause so%ething is touted as

a KhealthK food, doesn(t really %a$e it healthy# 9hole foods are al)ays the &est )ay to get

your food nutrition ** the %ore processed a food is, the less natural and ulti%ately less healthy it

is#

!hat's so wrong with soy hotdogs and T,- anyway# Aren't they good+ protein.rich+

meat substitutes#

+oy is %ore filler than food#or %any years, the protein left o"er fro% the e;traction of soy oil

)as sold to far%s as ani%al feed# After so%e ti%e, the food industry figured out ho) to %a$e

this highly processed soy protein palata&le to the hu%an tongue and &egan to aggressi"ely

%ar$et it in foods li$e soy dogs, soy %eat su&stitutes and the li$e# +ure, there(s protein, &ut it

also ta$es 8uite a &it of sugar, salt or M+- to %a$e soy protein actually taste good# The

healthiest foods are )hole foods, not processed ones#
http://www.alternet.org/comments/story/143023/is_soy_the_ticket_to_good_health_or_infertility_here's_the_scoop#disqus_threadhttp://www.ecosalon.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/twig1.jpghttp://www.mercola.com/article/soy/avoid_soy.htmhttp://www.mercola.com/article/soy/avoid_soy.htmhttp://www.ecosalon.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/twig1.jpghttp://www.ecosalon.com/not-soy-fast/http://www.ecosalon.com/not-soy-fast/http://www.ecosalon.com/sodium-in-surprising-places/http://www.mothering.com/articles/growing_child/food/soy_story.htmlhttp://www.mothering.com/articles/growing_child/food/soy_story.htmlhttp://www.ecosalon.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/twig1.jpghttp://www.ecosalon.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/twig1.jpghttp://www.ecosalon.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/twig1.jpghttp://www.alternet.org/comments/story/143023/is_soy_the_ticket_to_good_health_or_infertility_here's_the_scoop#disqus_threadhttp://www.mercola.com/article/soy/avoid_soy.htmhttp://www.mercola.com/article/soy/avoid_soy.htmhttp://www.ecosalon.com/not-soy-fast/http://www.ecosalon.com/sodium-in-surprising-places/http://www.mothering.com/articles/growing_child/food/soy_story.html


14/23

$ow will a diet hea"y in soy impact my health#

Unfer%ented soy can inhi&it protein a&sorption, cause flatulence and increase the chance of

de"eloping $idney stones# The processing of soy %ay re%o"e so%e of these pro&le%s# +oy

also inhi&its gro)th# :"en )ithin the ani%al feed industry, the a%ount of soy protein that can &e

fed to ani%als has to &e li%ited or the ani%als the%sel"es )ill suffer pro&le%s )ith gro)th and

fertility#

!hat's up with genetically modified soy#

Most soy gro)n in the )orld is genetically %odified 4-M5 ** )ith 7N of A%erican soy &eing

-M# And )hat(s the &ig deal a&out that =ot a lot of research has &een done on the effects of

-M foods, &ut one particular studyon rats sho)ed that un&orn &a&ies and young infants )ere

particularly har%ed &y the effects of genetically %odified soy#

/ut aren't a lot of infants fed soy.based formulas#

+oy infant for%ula, a co%%on alternati"e to co)(s %il$ for lactose*intolerant &a&ies, contains

endocrine disruptors and phytoestrogens, plant hor%ones )hich ha"e &een sho)n to cause

pre%ature pu&erty in young girls and delayed pu&erty in adolescent &oys# It(s a &it li$e gi"ing a

&a&y &irth control pills# +oy infant for%ula also contri&utes to soy allergies# 4Breast %il$ is

undou&tedly the &est food for &a&ies, and if that(s not an option, goat(s %il$ is the ne;t &est

thing to try#5

Speaking of allergies0

+oy is a%ong the %ost co%%onfood allergens, )ith reactions &eing particularly co%%on

a%ong children#

!ould this ha"e anything to do with pesticides#

That re%ains uncertain# o)e"er, unless you &uy strictly organic, you can &et yoursoy products

are hea"ily conta%inated)ith pesticides# As a %atter of fact, soy is the %ost conta%inated crop

)e gro) in the United +tates# And don(t forget, non*organic soy is al%ost certainly genetically

%odified as )ell#

$ow has the demand for soy affected the Ama1on rainforest#
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15/23

The huge glo&al de%and for soy 4for use in processed foods, ani%al feed and &iofuels5 is eating

up the rainforest, &ecause far%ers ha"e &een financially %oti"ated toclear %ore rainforest

landin order to plant this e;port crop# More deforestation, %ore glo&al )ar%ing#

/ut still+ aren't soy farms pro"iding 2obs#

Actually, for %any, soy far%ing is less li$e e%ploy%ent and %ore li$e sla"ery# Although sla"ery

)as officially outla)ed in Brail o"er !0 years ago, de&t &ondage for o"er 2,000

peoplecontinues on Brailian soy plantations# This is not the $ind of far%ing industry I )ant to

support#

Botto% line6 soy is not the %agical health food that %any tout it to &e# Cet(s &e clear, ho)e"er,

that fer%ented soy products don(t carry the sa%e negati"e conse8uences as unfer%ented,

highly processed soy foods# +o if you(re shopping for %iso or te%peh, %a$e sure to choose

&rands that are organic and not genetically %odified# And if you("e &een depending on tofu 4an

unfer%ented food5 for "egetarian protein, try out so%e of these other "egetarian

proteinsinstead#

O)3 There has been a whole re"olution in fake meat soy products4 )eading the book

definitely ga"e me a new perspecti"e on soy in terms of how healthy it really is and how

much of it are we eating in our diet without consciously being aware of it4

MG6 I ha"e a couple &asic principles a&out food, and one is to di"ersify our diet# 9e are

o%ni"ores# 9e need to eat a great %any different nutrients ** &et)een 0 and a hundred are

the esti%ates that I("e seen# Het, )e(re really getting %ost of our calories fro% four plants, and

soy is one of the%# T)enty percent of the A%erican diet co%es fro% soy or soy oil# I thin$ that

that(s putting all your eggs in one &as$et#

There are t)o )ays to process soy products6 There are traditional )ays of processing, such as

)hen you fer%ent and %a$e tofu, and these ha"e &een pro"en to $eep populations healthy and

ali"e for a long ti%e# But )e ha"e so%e "ery no"el )ays of processing soy# 9e(re isolating the

protein and using soy isofla"one as an additi"e# These are no"el and untested, and there is

science to suggest that you %ight not )ant to eat too %uch of that# I don(t $no) that )e("e found

real har%s, &ut there are 8uestions#
http://www.ecosalon.com/deforestation-and-eco-impacts-of-soy-agriculture/#more-7095http://www.ecosalon.com/deforestation-and-eco-impacts-of-soy-agriculture/#more-7095http://www.ecosalon.com/deforestation-and-eco-impacts-of-soy-agriculture/#more-7095http://www.ecosalon.com/the-soy-juggernaut-does-your-smoothie-contain-slavery/http://www.ecosalon.com/the-soy-juggernaut-does-your-smoothie-contain-slavery/http://www.ecosalon.com/7_Delicious_Meat_Alternatives_and_Not_a_Lick_of_Tofu_in_Sight/http://www.ecosalon.com/7_Delicious_Meat_Alternatives_and_Not_a_Lick_of_Tofu_in_Sight/http://www.ecosalon.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/twig1.jpghttp://www.ecosalon.com/deforestation-and-eco-impacts-of-soy-agriculture/#more-7095http://www.ecosalon.com/deforestation-and-eco-impacts-of-soy-agriculture/#more-7095http://www.ecosalon.com/the-soy-juggernaut-does-your-smoothie-contain-slavery/http://www.ecosalon.com/the-soy-juggernaut-does-your-smoothie-contain-slavery/http://www.ecosalon.com/7_Delicious_Meat_Alternatives_and_Not_a_Lick_of_Tofu_in_Sight/http://www.ecosalon.com/7_Delicious_Meat_Alternatives_and_Not_a_Lick_of_Tofu_in_Sight/


16/23

+oy isofla"ones, and soy products in general, closely rese%&le estrogen in the &ody# It isn(t

really clear )hether that(s a good or &ad thing# They %ay &e fooling the estrogen receptors into

thin$ing they(re estrogen and &loc$ing estrogen response, )hich %ight &e a good thing, or they

%ay &e acting li$e estrogen and doing )hat estrogen does, )hich )ould &e a &ad thing &ecause

estrogen pro%otes certain cancers# There are )ay too %any estrogen co%pounds already

circulating in our &odies, &ecause )e get it fro% plastics and other things# +o going cray o"er

soy %ight not &e such a )onderful idea#

In general, I ha"e %ore confidence in the traditional )ays of processing soy than the ne) )ays#

=o"elty in &iology is guilty until pro"en innocent# Mutations are no"elties, and e"ery no) and

then there(s a great %utation that confers an ad"antage on the creature# But 11 out of 00

%utations are disasters# +o )hen )e co%e up )ith a co%pletely ne) )ay of using a food,

co%&ining a food or processing a food, I(d Fust as soon )atch so%e other people eat it for a

couple hundred years &efore I try it#

D D 3Mother ones (nline/Byiera Butler

Which )eie B*rers Were Made With aNe*roto+in%

ost non-organic veggie burgers currently on the maret are made with thechemical heane, an /01-registered air %ollutant and neurotoin.

1%ril 23, !2! !

This is a&out the ti%e of year )hen I start $eeping pac$ages of "eggie &urgers in the freeer,

Fust in case of an i%pro%ptu &ar&ecue# In the past, I ha"en(t had %uch fa$e %eat &rand loyalty6

I("e found that once I s%other %y hun$ of te;tured "egeta&le protein in &ar&e8ue sauce, all soy

patties are pretty %uch created e8ual# But after reading a recentin"estigation&y the 'ornucopia

Institute, I(% going to &e a lot %ore pic$y6 The food and agriculture nonprofit found that %ost

non*organic "eggie &urgers currently on the %ar$et are %ade )ith the che%ical he;ane, an

:GA*registered air pollutant and neuroto;in#

In order to %eet the de%ands of health*conscious consu%ers, %anufacturers of soy*&ased fa$e

%eat li$e to %a$e their products ha"e as little fat as possi&le# The cheapest )ay to do this is &y

su&%erging soy&eans in a &ath of he;ane to separate the oil fro% the protein# +ays 'ornucopia

Institute senior researcher 'harlotte Vallaeys, KIf a non*organic product contains a soy protein

isolate, soy protein concentrate, or te;turied "egeta&le protein, you can &e pretty sure it )as

%ade using soy &eans that )ere %ade )ith he;ane#K
http://www.motherjones.com/http://www.alternet.org/authors/kiera-butlerhttp://www.cornucopia.org/2009/05/soy-report-and-scorecard/#more-1375http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hexanehttp://www.motherjones.com/http://www.alternet.org/authors/kiera-butlerhttp://www.cornucopia.org/2009/05/soy-report-and-scorecard/#more-1375http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hexane


17/23

If you("e heard a&out he;ane &efore, it )as li$ely in the conte;t of gasolineOthe air pollutant is

also a &yproduct of gas refining# But in 2007, grain processors )ere responsi&le for t)o*thirds of

our national he;ane e%issions# e;ane ishaardousin the factory, too6 9or$ers)ho ha"e &een

e;posed to it ha"e de"eloped &oth s$in and ner"ous syste% disorders# Trou&ling, then, that the

3A does not %onitor or regulate he;ane residue in foods# More )orriso%e still6 According to

the report, K=early e"ery %aFor ingredient in con"entional soy*&ased infant for%ula is he;ane

e;tracted#K

The 'ornucopia Institute found that a nu%&er of popular "eggie &urgers )ere %ade )ith

he;ane# The list 4pdf,page !7, and &elo)5 is longer than you %ight thin$6

A%y(s


18/23

+uper&urgers &y Turtle Island

Tofur$y

9ild)ood

Also )orth noting6 Groducts la&eled KorganicK aren(t allo)ed to contain any he;ane*deri"ed

ingredients, &ut that rule doesn(t apply to foods that are la&eled K%ade )ith organic ingredients#K

or %ore on soy sourcing, plus a list of popular K%ade )ith organic ingredientsK*la&eled protein

&ars that are %ade )ith he;ane, read the 'ornucopia Institute(s full study, K Behind the Bean #K

T63 % thought your chapter on soy was "ery interesting4 This can be a pretty confusing

topic because there is a great deal of research on whether or not soy is healthy and

some of it seems conflicting4 Do you think that people are becoming unnecessarily

scared of eating soy#

JR6 Many people are, yes, I("e seen that and then on the other hand there are people )ho("e

&een e;cessi"ely enthusiastic a&out it thin$ing soy )as the ans)er to e"erything and the %ore

you ate the &etter# 9e("e had t)o de"elop%ents in the soy )orld in recent decades that are a

%aFor concern# Dne of the% is that no), al%ost the entire soy&ean crop in the United +tates

that isn(t organic is -MD )ith RoundupReady soy fro% Monsanto# The other is that food

%anufacturers ha"e de"eloped soy*isolated products that are far re%o"ed fro% the )hole soy

food and as such ha"e so%e du&ious nutritional realities# Both of those things are 8uestion

%ar$s a&out soy, although if you eat organic soy and you eat )hole soy products those are

pro&le%s you are %anaging to a"oid personally, &ut they are still of course pro&le%s for society#

I thin$ there is a &alance hereE )hole soy and organic for %ost people eating the A%erican diet

can &e a "ery healthful alternati"e to the factory far%ed %eat products# 9e shouldn(t thro) the

&a&y out )ith the &ath)ater and there ha"e &een a lot of people )ho ha"e# There are so%e

people )ho ha"e de"eloped soy allergies in recent years and there are a lot of people sho)ing

up )ith food allergies today ### and )e see the graphs, it correlated directly to the )idespread

use of -MD foods in our food chain#

Traduccin de Mnica Gmez Santos

74 8 n cuanto a los efectos en la salud de las personas+ cual dir9a :uees el producto m;s pernicioso deri"ado de la so2a :ue e5iste en el
http://www.cornucopia.org/2009/05/soy-report-and-scorecard/#more-1375http://www.cornucopia.org/2009/05/soy-report-and-scorecard/#more-1375


19/23

mercado#

El peor sin duda es la leche maternizada de soja porque normalmente es el nico

alimento que consume el beb. La soja contiene fitoestrenos que pueden

producir un funcionamiento anmalo de la tiroides ! del aparato reproductor" as#

como ni$eles t%icos de mananeso que pueden pro$ocar da&o neurolico !cerebral asociado con '()( *(ficit de 'tencin con )iperacti$idad+ !

comportamiento $iolento. Los bebs que toman leche maternizada de soja tambin

corren un rieso ma!or de padecer problemas astrointestinales" alerias" asma"

menor absorcin de minerales ! menor coeficiente intelectual. 'unque la ma!or#a

saben que es mejor dar el pecho a los bebs" las mujeres que no pueden hacerlo

escoen la soja pensando que es una opcin m,s saludable. Esta decisin es un

desastre. En contra de lo que se piensa" la leche de soja maternizada nunca se ha

sido empleada tradicionalmente en 'sia.

Tanto para los ni&os como para los adultos" las dos peores cateor#as de productos

son la prote#na de soja ! el aceite de soja. 'l contrario que en 'sia donde la entecome peque&as cantidades de productos de soja sin procesar" en occidente se

procesa industrialmente la soja para separarla en dos productos- prote#na ! aceite.

o ha! nada natural o seuro en dicho proceso. La alta tecnolo#a que se emplee

ho! en d#a no slo no remue$e los anti nutrientes ! las to%inas presentes de forma

natural en la soja" sino que deja residuos t%icos ! cancer#enos oriinados por las

altas temperaturas" alta presin" ba&os ,cidos ! alcalinos" as# como disol$entes del

petrleo.

Los peores deri$ados de la soja que e%isten actualmente son los concentrados de

prote#na de soja" la soja te%turizada ! la prote#na $eetal hidrolizado. Estos

inredientes se encuentran en casi todos los productos procesados- batidos" barrasenerticas" hamburuesas $eetales o atn en lata. Los peores productos

deri$ados del aceite de soja son las mararinas hechas con aceite de soja

parcialmente hidroenado que contiene los pelirosos ,cidos rasos transaturados.

/ara que el pblico acepte los aceites de soja se les somete a un procesado

industrial e%hausti$o" que inclu!e desodorizacin e hidroenacin.

El hecho de que la prote#na de soja oce de una e%celente reputacin" pero el aceite

de soja ha!a ca#do en desracia ha conducido a una di$isin en cuanto al mar0etin

en las clases sociales. La ente preocupada por la salud de las clases sociales

ele$adas est, dispuesta a paar un alto precio por los supuestos efectos benficos

de la soja en herbolarios ! tiendas de productos or,nicos. Mientras tanto" el restoiniere el mortal aceite de soja carado de rasas hidroenadas en cualquiera de

los alimentos procesados del mercado- cra0ers" coo0ies" boller#a" alimentos

enlatados" patatas fritas coneladas" etc. Sin embaro" los productos de soja de

ele$ado coste se han asociado en la mente popular con la palabra 1saludable2.

'unque el americano promedio toda$#a considere un 1filete de soja2 como alo

repunante" parecen no darse cuenta de que la industria alimenticia ha introducido

soja in$isible en casi todos los productos de los supermercados. Siempre que los

precios se mantenan bajos ! el sabor ! la te%tura resulten familiares" la soja es

percibida como un aditi$o saludable. Mientras tanto" en los $ecindarios de las

clases altas" el aceite de soja est, acabando con la reputacin de saludable que

ten#a la prote#na de soja" ! comienza a aparecer en productos $endidos en losherbolarios ! tiendas de productos naturales" ! no precisamente en su forma m,s


20/23

saludable *sin refinar ! prensado en fr#o+.

El producto que m,s me preocupa es la leche de soja. o porque sea el producto

peor que e%iste" sino porque la ente la est, consumiendo en e%ceso.

concentrado de prote9na de so2a+

aceite de so2a+ etc? :ue conse2o dar9a a los consumidores :ue :uieren e"itar la so2a

pero no saben por donde comen1ar#

Es un reto" especialmente para las personas con aleria a la soja. /ero tambin nosbrinda la oportunidad de eleir la comida de forma ptima. El mejor" ! puede que

nico modo" de e$itar la soja completamente es comprar comida sin procesar !

prepararla uno mismo. /ara los que aun as# prefieran productos empaquetados !

listos para comer" les recomiendo que consulte la lista de productos en mi

8ebwww4wholesoystory4com. La lista contiene alias tras los que se esconde la soja en

la lista de inredientes" con apelati$os como 9sabor natural: o 9prote#na $eetal

te%turizada:.

/ero no todo son malas noticias. En enero de ;


21/23

inspecciones para aseurarse que la industria alimentaria cumple esta le!" ! as#

eliminar la contaminacin con estas substancias alricas en muchos productos en

los que no se ha sido incluidos intencionadamente como inredientes. Tenemos

esta le! racias a la ?niciati$a de 'leria 'limentaria" una oranizacin sin ,nimo

de lucro con base en ue$a @or0.

@4 Muchos americanos est;n con"encidos de :ue la so2a es la panacea para las

enfermedades del cora1n+ los s9ntomas de la menopausia y el colesterol alto entre

otros4 8BuC le dir9a a este nutrido grupo de gente :ue toda"9a piensa :ue la so2a es

una comida saludable#

En eneral" deber#amos ser cautos a la hora de pensar que un alimento

cualesquiera es un alimento milaroso" especialmente uno que ha sido promo$ido

por los mismos fabricantes" ! que por tanto se benefician de este reclamo. A#mos

tantas cosas mara$illosas sobre la soja" pero la ente necesita recordar que los

posibles beneficios no compensan los riesos demostrados deri$ados de su

consumo. Miles de estudios cl#nicos" epidemiolicos conclu!en que el consumo desoja est, liado a la malnutricin" problemas diesti$os" hipotiroidismo" decli$e

coniti$o" problemas reproducti$os" debilitamiento del sistema inmunolico" e

incluso problemas del corazn ! c,ncer.

'unque ciertamente es posible que alunos componentes de la soja puedan

utilizarse en la preparacin de medicamentos" es inapropiado que la industria de la

soja recomiende a la poblacin en su conjunto *hombres" mujeres ! ni&os+ que se

automedique comiendo inentes cantidades de soja. 'l pblico no se le ha

ad$ertido que la soja puede tener muchos efectos secundarios" que es una

sustancia que puede ser beneficiosa en un ciclo de la $ida ! perjudicial en otro" !

que los estrenos que introducimos en la dieta pueden tener un efectoacumulati$o o e%ponencial con los estrenos medio ambientales.

4 8ual fue la moti"acin :ue le lle" a escribir E6a "erdadera historia de la so2a#

)ace a&os estaba e%citada con las mara$illas que se hablaban de la soja. La

posibilidad de que este alimento de bajo costo pudiese pre$enir problemas de

corazn" acabase con el c,ncer ! con los sofocos de la menopausia" a la $ez que

fortaleciera los huesos me pareci mu! atra!ente. Sin embaro" estos reclamos

publicitarios no se correspond#an con la cantidad de ente enferma cu!as dietas

inclu#an soja que encontr. En los ashrams habl con $eetarianos que hablaban

con entusiasmo de sus dietas iluminadas" pero que se quejaban de prdida deener#a" confusin mental" debilitamiento del cabello" piel ris,cea" aumento de

peso ! flatulencia.

Buando era profesora me encontr con profesionales preocupados por la salud" que

$inieron a m# confundidos ! frustrados porque les hab#an recomendado la soja"

pero se sent#an peor de lo que se hab#an sentido nunca. En mi trabajo como

nutricionista trat a muchos pacientes que recuperaron la salud despus de

eliminar la soja de sus dietas. Estas obser$aciones me lle$aron a cuestionar todo lo

que hab#a o#do o le#do sobre la soja" ! a in$estiar personalmente el tema.

G4 8uales son los tipos de so2a aceptables# 8No es cierto :ue la so2a fermentada>natto+ tempeh+ miso? es buena para la salud#


22/23

/ersonalmente consumo productos tradicionales fermentados de soja como miso"

tempeh" natto" sho!u ! tamari" pues creo que pueden ser saludables en el conte%to

de una dieta $ariada. El tofu es un producto procesado ! menos saludable" pero

toda$#a lo disfruto ocasionalmente. EdamameClos ranos $erdes de soja

inmadurosC contienen menos to%inas de las que se encuentran en los ranosmaduros" ! por tanto" se pueden comer de $ez en cuando. La ente que no es

alrica a la soja puede consumir estos productos de forma seura en las mismas

cantidades que se comen tradicionalmente en 'sia. Es decir" en peque&as

cantidades usadas como condimento" no como comida principal.

Los brotes de soja" por el contrario" no son saludables. La erminacin a corto

plazo incrementa los antinutrientes de la soja. En contraste" la erminacin a laro

plazo m,s la fermentacin los disminu!e" elimin,ndolos casi por completo.

)istricamente" se pensaba que los brotes de soja eran m,s tiles como

medicamentos" no como un alimento de inesta diaria.

H4 n su libro E6a "erdadera historia de la so2a afirma :ue nunca se ha demostrado

:ue el consumo de la so2a sea seguro+ y :ue puede causar daIos irre"ersibles en la

salud de las personas4 8uales son algunos de los efectos secundarios m;s

importantes :ue puede producir la so2a#

o me siento seura al pronunciar palabras como 1irre$ersible2 o 1incurable2. Las

personas adultas que han tenido problemas de salud debidos a la soja tienen altas

probabilidades de recuperar su salud ! eliminan de su dieta la soja ! otros

alimentos que contienen estrenos" adoptan una dieta omn#$ora" $ariada !

ecolica e inclu!en suplementos apropiados recomendados por un nutricionista uotro profesional de la salud. Me he topado frecuentemente con problemas de

tiroides" infertilidad" problemas menstruales" prdida del apetito se%ual" ca#da del

cabello ! problemas diesti$os. /ero el da&o que producen las leches maternizadas

de soja s# que es irre$ersible. Dn momento crucial para la proramacin del sistema

reproducti$o humano es justo despus del nacimiento justo en el momento en el

que muchos ni&os que no son amamantados reciben toma tras toma de leche

maternizada de soja. ormalmente" durante este periodo en el cuerpo del beb

emeren estrenos naturales" testosterona ! otros hormonas necesarias para

proramar el sistema reproductor del recin nacido para la madurez desde la

infancia" pasando por la pubertad hasta la edad adulta.

En el caso de los bebs que se alimentan de leche maternizada de soja esta

proramacin hormonal se puede interrumpir. Las isofla$onoss" los fitoestrenos

de la soja" son mu! parecidos a los a los estrenos naturales producidos por el

cuerpo humano" as# como a los estrenos sintticos que se encuentran en las

p#ldoras anticoncepti$as. )ablando estrictamente" los estrenos de la soja no son

hormonas sino 1imitadores de los estrenos2" es decir" que se comportan como

los estrenos en el cuerpo humano" pero lo importante es que nuestro oranismo

los confunde con hormonas. Los ni&os que son 1estroenizados2 de esta forma

pueden e%perimentar retrasos de la pubertad. Las ni&as peque&as sometidas al

mismo tratamiento pueden alcanzar la pubertad de forma prematura. )emos $isto

muchas historias tr,icas de este tipo.


23/23

J4 8ual fue la informacin :ue descubri mientras escrib9as E6a historia "erdadera

de la so2a :ue m;s le impresion#

Bomenc mi in$estiacin con la idea de que la soja tendr#a sus pros ! sus contras.

Sin embaro" encontr una e$idencia abrumadora en su contra. Me sorprendi la

cantidad de estudios que hab#an sido enterrados ! que hubieran debido publicarse"la flarante ine%actitud de los datos ! el talento de la industria de la soja para dar

la $uelta a resultados desfa$orables. 'hora mismo" la 7(' est, considerando

seriamente aprobar un reclamo de salud en el etiquetado de los alimentos

afirmando que la prote#na de soja pre$iene el c,ncer" a propuesta de la compaa

Solae. La mera idea de que se inclu!a a la soja en la cateor#a de substancias

anticancer#enas es totalmente rid#cula.

Las isofla$onas de soja Flos estrenos que contiene la planta de soja a los que se

atribu!e la proteccin contra el c,ncerF aparecen en muchos libros de te%to de

to%icolo#a como carcinenos. Tambin se ha demostrado que son mutanicos"

clastonicos ! teronicos. Estudios recientes han demostrado incluso que la sojaacelera el crecimiento del c,ncer de pecho. Sin embaro" Solae toda$#a sostiene

que 1ha! un consenso entre los e%pertos $alidado por suformacin cient#fica !

e%periencia2 que 1los productos de prote#na de soja reducen el rieso de ciertos

c,nceres2. 'se$eracin tan opuesta a la $erdad que decid# unirme a Sall! 7allon !

ill Sanda de la 7undacin Heston '. /rice para rellenar dos documentos de

protesta al 7('. La 7(' ha retrasaso su decisin ! nos reuniremos con ellos esta

prima$era.

K4 8A a:uellas personas en cuya dieta el mayor aporte proteico procede de la so2a

:ue comidas les sugerir9a para reempla1ar la so2a#

Iecomiendo encarecidamente una dieta $ariada ! omni$ora" como la que propone

ourishin Traditions ! el libro de Sall! 7allon ! Mar! Eni 1Eat 7atJLose 7at2

*Boma rasa para perder rasa+" as# como los libros del (r Mercola ! su sitio 8eb.

Si se opta por una dieta $eetariana recomiendo productos l,cteos crudos sin

pasteurizar ! hue$os de allinas criadas al aire libre. En el caso de que el aporte de

prote#nas proceda de leumbres o frutos secos se deber#an dejar en remojo para

desacti$ar los fitatos ! otros antinutrientes" con el objeto de hacerlos m,s

diesti$os ! asimilables.

7L4 8-lanea escribir otro libro#

Esto! recopilando historias de personas que han tenido problemas debidos al

consumo de soja" ! que constituir,n una secuela de mi libro anterior. ?ncluir,

testimonios $er#dicos sobre la soja" ! cmo muchos hombres" mujeres ! ni&os han

conseuido recuperarse de problemas de salud oriinados por la soja. Me ustar#a

que el pblico ! otros mdicos que han desarrollado o estn desarrollando

protocolos para clientes que est,n sufriendo de problemas de tiroides" decli$e

coniti$o" c,ncer u otros problemas de salud debidos a la inesta de soja se

ponan en contacto conmio. Les insto a compartir sus historias

enwww4wholesoystory4com.
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the dark side of soy

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