| Author | Message | ||
     Eric |
Tom, Here is an article from the World's Healthiest Foods; FOOD OF THE WEEK . . . Tofu Did you know that the isoflavones found in soy-based foods such as tofu are most beneficial when they come from a whole food rather than taken as supplements? Soy foods rich in isoflavones like genistein and diadzein have been found to help prevent cance r and promote bone and cardiovascular health. Because of such research, sales of isoflavone pills increased 246% in one year, according to a New York Times article. However, studies suggest that while a diet rich in soy foods may be cardio-protective, soy isoflavones by themselves will not produce much effect. In one animal study, it was found that those eating the soy protein had 50% less damaged LDL (bad cholesterol) in their coronary arteries compared to those given either a milk-based diet or a mil k-based diet supplemented with isoflavones. Once again, it appears that the combination of nutrients Mother Nature supplies in whole foods is a better choice for promoting health than any individual components. Read More ... Do you consume a lot of soy products? Dr. Mercola thinks soy as being a very risky food... | ||
| Anonymous |
I have heard many negative things about soy in my field of work. I study biology and work amongst many intelligent students at my university who have done studies to find out just how healthy soy really is. I will not go into detail as I can not remember the exact findings of the various studies, but as I recall, soy is an overrated product. These health nuts swear by soy, but it is entirely overrated. Do some google searching on the topic and I guarantee you will be suprised with the results. | ||
| michael |
I can only say that I do not feel good since I added soy to my daily regimen. It hits my mood and cuts down my sex appetite. If anyone with the same experience- join the discusion. | ||
| c.d. |
I think some tempeh is o.k. I just recently found out that MSG is hidden in many foods, textured vegetable protein (tvp) among them. Many processed soy foods contain MSG. Here's a website about this: http://creativehealth.netfirms.com/poison/MSG_poison.shtml | ||
| Eric |
Can anyone share with the forum if they are on a diet of brown rice and beans. For example, I go to The World's Healthiest Foods web-site http://www.whfoods.com/foodstoc.php I just wanted to know if anyone knows anything about any of the "grains" they list. Grains..... Barley Buckwheat Corn, yellow Millet Oats Quinoa Rice, brown Rye Spelt Wheat I just bought some Quinoa tonight and was going to fix it. You should read what it says about this particular grain... http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=142 | ||
| Anonymous |
I dont know about quinoa, but I know that ouija is a great game to play. | ||
| Anonymous |
Soy is Bad .. Soy increases estrogen levels in men, which in turn lowers Testosterone. thats why your sex drive is down. Soy also shuts down thyroid production. Hypothyroid causes hair loss, weight gain . which is often undetected unless you have a good doctor who sometimes looks beyond the test results. Now if you read the labals on your food you will see that soy/soy oil is in practically everything you buy besides meat fruit and veggies. | ||
| Paul z |
I've been reading Dr. Mercola's newsletters for a couple years now and he offers a lot of good advise, but, he has some loopy opinions. For one, he claims that wearing a wrist watch is bad for you. Also, he claims that all grains are absolutely bad for your health. He claims that having an alarm clock next to your bed is detrimental to your health. How far is he going to take it? Magnetism and electricity is all around us in the form of natural static, and it's unavoidable. Does that cause disease too? My father is an Ham radio operator and has been all his life. He exposes himself to powerful radio signals that causes the stereo in the other room to go nuts when it's tuned off. Sometimes the clicking of his microphone turns on the electronic oven in the kitchen,LOL...My point being that he is 76 years old and is still in good health. One has to wonder about Mercola's negative opinions on Soy because other doctors reccommend it, one being Dr. Weil. Also there are other cultures who consume soy regularly and seem to be healthy. | ||
| Tom Hagerty |
Paul Z: I read Dr. Mercola's articles too and find them informative. But, as you put it - "he has some loopy opinions." Dr. Weil is not as interesting as Dr. M; he will not lead you astray though with crackpot theories. Did you read Dr. M's latest Newsletter? Oh man, he goes off on a tangent in this one with magnets and such. He is a guru in the worst sense of that term. Many people follow his advice uncritically. | ||
| Paul z |
Dr. Weil does seem more realistic with his ideas regarding nutrition and preventive medicine. He says that a 30 or 40 minute walk everyday is all that's necessary for most people to maintain basic fitness. I believe that. As for Mercola, I'm used to his exaggerations, although I'll admitt that I'm spooked over his warnings about cell phone radiation. | ||
| Eric Roberts |
76 Ways Sugar Can Ruin Your Health http://www.mercola.com/article/sugar/dangers_of_sugar.htm# | ||
| Eric Roberts |
Soy Myth Exposed: Soy is Not a Health Food http://www.mercola.com/2005/feb/26/soy_myths.htm I think Dr. Mercola is right about this SOY myth. I am in college and I work part-time in a local health-food store and we sell a LOT of soy products. Some of these people that buy the soy products look terrible and look out of shape. This is just my observation. Dr. Mercola "does" have scientific data that backs up the claim that SOY IS NOT GOOD! | ||
| Tom Hagerty |
More information about soy products: This Food Can Damage Men's Fertility A natural chemical found in soy, tofu and legumes [beans] can potentially damage sperm and lower men's fertility, Reuters reports of new research from King's College London. The plant chemical, genistein, mimics the effect of the female hormone estrogen and in turn affects sperm in laboratory mice. Tests in humans have shown an even stronger impact than in the rodents. Research leader Lynn Fraser found in lab tests that small amounts of genistein can cause human sperm to "burn out" and lose fertility, reports Reuters. And it's not just men who should avoid eating soy, tofu, and legumes. Women who are trying to conceive a baby should also avoid it since the chemical can affect sperm when it is in the female preparing to fertilize an egg. "Maternal exposure to the compounds is probably more important than paternal exposure," Fraser told a meeting of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology meeting. Even though the research is still preliminary, Fraser advised couples who are trying to conceive to restrict their soy intake during the window of ovulation. Others say the results are surprising, especially since Asian societies eat a diet rich in soy and show no signs of reduced fertility. In addition, what happens to sperm in a laboratory setting may not apply to real life. | ||
| Anonymous |
That is so untrue, i have been using soy products no more then 25g a day mixed in with whole eggs and whey protein. Recent studies showed that soy inibits the dht binding and does not lower testosteron at all, hell i am horny all the time. GIve it a try if it was that bad they would take it out the shelf same thing has they did with ephedrine | ||
| Anonymous |
What about all the hormones they put in the food animals these days? Chicken is especially bad in this regard. I've heard of girls as young as 9 or 10 growing breasts and it seems that this is a strong factor. I know Dr. Mercola says that fermented soy like tempeh and miso are fine. | ||
| Eric |
http://www.mercola.com/2005/feb/26/soy_myths.htm The Soy Myth exposed | ||
| Nathan |
To the Anonymous poster who claimed: "Soy is Bad .. Soy increases estrogen levels in men, which in turn lowers Testosterone. thats why your sex drive is down. Soy also shuts down thyroid production. Hypothyroid causes hair loss, weight gain . which is often undetected unless you have a good doctor who sometimes looks beyond the test results." What is all this hype about soy? There are traces of meat and meat products in almost everything we eat as well, yet no one seems to see this as threatening - that with how we commecrially raise and feed the animals we put into these products, which is rarely the most adequate or healthy. Also, there are no hormones in soy. Soy contains full Protien which is simply derived from beans. It'd hardly be legal to sell products with such effects on people, and, I might add, that commercial milk from cows has PLENTY of antibiotics, and hormones such as estrogen for cows which is used to help the cow produce maximum amounts of milk. Now, I'm sure you can go out and find resteraunts and products that have soy that is prepared in an unhealthy way - but this is true for all foods, and most commonly in meat, I might add, which seems to be the favorite of the board. Any vegetarian or vegan I know, young and old, male or female, have lead healthy lives not eating meat, and I am one of those who have found that cutting out meat has left me with more energy and a more healthy feeling of life than before I stopped eating it. Just by cutting down on meat, though, had a similar effect for me, I actually just got sick of meat after a while and stopped eating it in preference. | ||
| Hugh |
Soy is great if you want to become like a female with Alzheimer's: BMC Neurosci. 2001;2(1):20. Epub 2001 Dec 17. "Visual spatial memory is enhanced in female rats (but inhibited in males) by dietary soy phytoestrogens. Lund TD, West TW, Tian LY, Bu LH, Simmons DL, Setchell KD, Adlercreutz H, Lephart ED. The Neuroscience Center Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah 84602, USA. Neuroscience@byu.edu BACKGROUND: In learning and memory tasks, requiring visual spatial memory (VSM), males exhibit superior performance to females (a difference attributed to the hormonal influence of estrogen). This study examined the influence of phytoestrogens (estrogen-like plant compounds) on VSM, utilizing radial arm-maze methods to examine varying aspects of memory. Additionally, brain phytoestrogen, calbindin (CALB), and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) levels were determined. RESULTS: Female rats receiving lifelong exposure to a high-phytoestrogen containing diet (Phyto-600) acquired the maze faster than females fed a phytoestrogen-free diet (Phyto-free); in males the opposite diet effect was identified. In a separate experiment, at 80 days-of-age, animals fed the Phyto-600 diet lifelong either remained on the Phyto-600 or were changed to the Phyto-free diet until 120 days-of-age. Following the diet change Phyto-600 females outperformed females switched to the Phyto-free diet, while in males the opposite diet effect was identified.Furthermore, males fed the Phyto-600 diet had significantly higher phytoestrogen concentrations in a number of brain regions (frontal cortex, amygdala & cerebellum); in frontal cortex, expression of CALB (a neuroprotective calcium-binding protein) decreased while COX-2 (an inducible inflammatory factor prevalent in Alzheimer's disease) increased. CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest that dietary phytoestrogens significantly sex-reversed the normal sexually dimorphic expression of VSM. Specifically, in tasks requiring the use of reference, but not working, memory, VSM was enhanced in females fed the Phyto-600 diet, whereas, in males VSM was inhibited by the same diet. These findings suggest that dietary soy derived phytoestrogens can influence learning and memory and alter the expression of proteins involved in neural protection and inflammation in rats." PMID: 11801187 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] There are lots more studies like that. Soy definitely has lots of weird effects on the brain none of which are in any way desirable. It's great for growing breasts, too [MAYBE you can consider this is a 'relatively minor side effect' IF you have prostate cancer; however, even then most people would probably consider it as adding insult to injury]: Nutr Cancer. 2004;48(2):160-70. Clinical characteristics and pharmacokinetics of purified soy isoflavones: multiple-dose administration to men with prostate neoplasia. Fischer L, Mahoney C, Jeffcoat AR, Koch MA, Thomas BE, Valentine JL, Stinchcombe T, Boan J, Crowell JA, Zeisel SH. Department of Nutrition, School of Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7461, USA. "A phase I clinical trial was conducted to determine the safety, pharmacokinetic parameters, and efficacy of orally administered isoflavones (genistein and daidzein, potential cancer chemotherapeutic agents) over a 3-mo period in men with prostate neoplasia. Twenty men, ages 40 and above, with stage B, C, or D adenocarcinoma of the prostate were treated with a multiple-dose regimen of a soy isoflavone formulation (delivering approximately 300 or 600 mg/day genistein and half this much daidzein) for 84 days. The delivered dose of isoflavones was more than 10-fold higher than that typically taken by prostate cancer patients. In men with prostate cancer, relatively minor side effects of chronic isoflavone treatment were observed including some estrogenic effects (breast changes, increased frequency of hot flashes). Serum dehydroepiandrosterone was decreased by 31.7% (P = 0.0004) at the end of treatment. Except for those subjects whose prostate-specific antigen (PSA) values were below 0.4 ng/ml, subjects had a history of increasing PSA levels prior to the trial. This increase continued during the trial both while on soy isoflavones and after treatment was discontinued. On average the rate of rise accelerated after soy isoflavones were discontinued, but that difference did not attain statistical significance. Genistein and daidzein were rapidly cleared from plasma and excreted in urine. Pharmacokinetic data for chronic dose administration were similar to single-dose administration for the isoflavones investigated except that we observed slightly longer circulation time for daidzein." Publication Types: Clinical Trial Clinical Trial, Phase I PMID: 15231450 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE] | ||
| Eric |
Good article Hugh! | ||
| Tom Hagerty |
A depressing article for the soy boosters. Of course one doesn't have to believe it. This Food Can Damage Men's Fertility A natural chemical found in soy, tofu and legumes can potentially damage sperm and lower men's fertility, Reuters reports of new research from King's College London. The plant chemical, genistein, mimics the effect of the female hormone estrogen and in turn affects sperm in laboratory mice. Tests in humans have shown an even stronger impact than in the rodents. Research leader Lynn Fraser found in lab tests that small amounts of genistein can cause human sperm to "burn out" and lose fertility, reports Reuters. And it's not just men who should avoid eating soy, tofu, and legumes. Women who are trying to conceive a baby should also avoid it since the chemical can affect sperm when it is in the female preparing to fertilize an egg. "Maternal exposure to the compounds is probably more important than paternal exposure," Fraser told a meeting of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology meeting. Even though the research is still preliminary, Fraser advised couples who are trying to conceive to restrict their soy intake during the window of ovulation. Others say the results are surprising, especially since Asian societies eat a diet rich in soy and show no signs of reduced fertility. In addition, what happens to sperm in a laboratory setting may not apply to real life. And the age-old question men have wondered about: Does the type of undies you wear affect fertility? At one time, it was thought that tighty-whities might lead to infertility by raising the temperature of the testes so it interfered with sperm production. But this theory, however grand it sounds, was bashed in 1998 by Drs. Robert Munkelwitz and Bruce R. Gilbert. They analyzed semen samples from 97 men, all of whom had fertility problems. Half wore briefs and half wore boxer shorts. The results? There were no significant differences between the two groups of men in scrotal temperature, sperm count, sperm concentration or sperm motility, they wrote in the Journal of Urology. | ||
| E |
Tom: When you said "legumes," does this mean beans such as kidney/navy/black/aduki beans?... | ||
| maria |
all from men's points of view. sure a man does not want to lose his fertility just to grow some hair! if it is true that soy increases estrogen production, it should improve hair quality. that's what estrogen does, causing some women on birth control pills experience better hair and skin. | ||
| john kazan |
I suppose Bob Hoffman was impotent! From The Desk Of Clarence Bass: "Unique Nutritional Profile I first learned that soybeans are special in the ‘50s as a budding young lifter reading Bob Hoffman’s articles on nutrition in Strength & Health magazine. Hoffman promoted his Hi-Proteen (that’s the correct spelling) as a wonder food capable of building muscles at a pace never before attained. The primary ingredient in Hoffman’s Hi-Proteen was soybean flour. According to Muscletown USA, the history of Bob Hoffman and the York Barbell Company by Professor John D. Fair (see article # 32), Hoffman traced his fascination with soybeans back to 1914, when he started patronizing Chinese restaurants. Hoffman said he began growing soybeans on his Pennsylvania farm in the 1930s. I don’t recall the background spin. All I remember is that soy protein was supposed to help me get bigger and stronger. Bob Hoffman obviously made a believer of me, because I bought so much Hi-Proteen that the health food store gave me a discount. Hoffman said he spent years trying to find the right formula. The main problem seemed to be that a soy-based product didn’t taste very good. Hoffman wrote in Strength and Health: "We took our problem to chemists, laboratories and food processors and finally developed the product which is now known as Hoffman’s Hi-Proteen." That was probably a bit of a stretch, according to Fair. He quotes Jim Murray, editor of Strength and Health, as painting quite a different picture. Murray says Hoffman got the idea for Hi-Proteen from a Chicago gym owner named Erwin Johnson. Hoffman sold Johnson’s product just long enough to assess the demand and then replaced it with his own. According to Murray, Hoffman ordered sweet chocolate from Hershey and mixed up the first batch "with a canoe paddle in a soy bean flour container." Shocked by the lack of scientific process, Murray says Hoffman was "sweating away while stirring and tasting, saying ‘yuk, no one will buy that,’ and so mixed more." Whatever the truth, soy-based protein supplements have been selling well ever since. And not without substantial scientific justification. As I recall, Hoffman -- correctly -- emphasized the high-quality of the protein in soybeans. Unique among plant foods, soybeans supply all the amino acids needed by the human body for growth and repair. Soybeans would apparently suffice even if they were the only dietary source of protein. According to the Goldbecks, their biological value is comparable to that of beef or milk. Soy protein is better than that found in other beans, according to the Goldbecks, because it contains an abundance of the essential amino acid tryptophan. The protein is also more concentrated. "Soybeans have about twice the protein content of other beans, such as chickpeas, kidney beans, or lentils," the Goldbecks write. Nevertheless, they add: "In our opinion, as with any food, soy is meant to be a part of a varied diet, and not the sole or necessarily even the principal protein." (More on that later.) Andrew Weil, M.D., is also favorably disposed toward soybeans. "Of all the legumes, soybeans deserve the most attention," Weil writes in Eating Well for Optimum Health (Knopf, 2000). "Not only are they high in protein, they have a heart-healthy oil that includes omega-3 fatty acids." One of the pluses of soy protein is that it comes without the high level of saturated fat found in red meat and many other animal sources. "Substituting [soybeans] for some of the animal foods in the standard Western diet would be a healthy change," says Dr. Weil, "perhaps one of the most healthful changes you could make." Soybeans are one of the few plant foods containing significant amounts of fat. The Goldbecks and Dr. Weil believe that’s a good thing. Jeff Novick (Chef Jeff), Director of Nutrition at the Pritkin Longevity Center and a strong proponent of very low-fat diets, disagrees. In his online Weekly Health Update, Novick wrote: "Most beans are about 1 % fat, while the soybean is about 18-20 % fat, of which 15 % is saturated." Novick insists that other beans are as good or better than soybeans. He says: "Soy is neither unique in protein nor isoflavone content." According to Jeff, soybeans contain twice as much omega-6 fat as omega 3. "Omega-6 fats have effects on lipid oxidation and blood clotting," says Jeff, "but it is still not clear whether this is beneficial or not." There must be others, but Novick is the only nutrition expert I know to worry about the fat content of soybeans. As noted above, Dr. Weil praises the "heart-healthy" fats found in soybeans. Referring to the desirability of substituting soy foods for animal foods, Weil writes: "At one stroke, you would decrease intake of saturated fat and increase omega-3s, fiber, and protective phytochemicals." Weil warns against highly processed soy foods, such as "isolated soy protein," which he says "may not contain the isoflavones, fiber, and healthful oil of the whole bean." | ||
| Anonymous |
It seems all the opponents of soy site the same article about how bad soy is. I have been using soy for quite a while now and my sex drive is still really strong and I am quite muscular (I'm in the gym a lot). I find it funny how people are totally freaked out about soy but have no problem popping Fin. or Dut. | ||
| dknight New member Username: Archangel Post Number: 1 Registered: 09-2006 |
Soy is good http://www.earthclinic.com/Remedies/soy.html | ||
| Joanne New member Username: Brokenheart Post Number: 11 Registered: 03-2008 |
I used soya products for a long time when I was vegan, but when I had a kid I stopped. The oestrogen properties interfere with milk production and since I nurse that was a bad thing. My milk production returned to normal after I stopped consuming them. And it got me thinking that if it interferes like that-what would it do to a young girl or boy? It was at that point that, having experienced it's effects myself, I realised that it was not something I wished to have my child consume. We eat a large amount of organic food. Our meat and milk is hormone and antibiotic free. It seemed silly to take that risk when I was being careful with everything else-and I will continue to avoid it in anything but small amounts until someone comes up with hugely strong evidence to the effect that it has no ill effects on little ones. | ||
| mp New member Username: Lilgirl1 Post Number: 3 Registered: 03-2008 |
I'm a vegetarian, and i've hardly eat any soy products. even if i did before it didn't seem to do much to slow down my hair loss. personally I don't believe that soy does improve hair, i mean a lot of vegetarians don't lose hair, it's probably more about iron, zinc and b12 levels as well as the amount of essential fatty acids in your diet. my hair loss just stopped in dec last year, and i think it was because I further increased my fat intake, like quite a lot of nuts (esp walnuts). have been off soy for more than a year now. well, i'm still worried about my hair though :S | ||
| AnaMaria New member Username: Msmchair Post Number: 1 Registered: 07-2008 |
I am a hypothyroid patient with multiple nodules on my thyroid. It is one the foods that my doctor told me to avoid comppletetly. | ||
| Tom Hagerty Moderator Username: Admin Post Number: 3592 Registered: 01-2003 |
AnaMaria: This is what Dr. Todd Nippoldt of Mayo Clinic says about people with hypothyroidism eating soy products: There's no evidence that people with hypothyroidism should avoid soy. Standard treatment for hypothyroidism is synthetic thyroid hormone. Theoretically, it's possible that eating very large amounts of soy could impair your body's ability to absorb this medication. In such cases, signs and symptoms of hypothyroidism may persist despite treatment with synthetic thyroid hormone. |
