Are soy products dangerous?

Hi there!

A friend of mine told me that tofu (soy) cause cancer and other complications. Is this true? I tried to do some research but could not find that much on the topic and not sure what is legit. I have heard to much soy is not that good for you, never thought it caused cancer and complications. I have always been allergic to the fats in milk, as a baby I was switched to soy formula. I have never noticed anything wrong with my development as a child. Seemed to turn out okay haha. Anyone here know anything more about this? This is what I found:

"For just a brief look at what’s really going on, consider that numerous studies have found that soy products can actually:

· Increase thyroid damage, especially in women
· Increase the risk of breast cancer in women, brain damage in both sexes, and cause abnormalities in infants
· Contribute to thyroid disorders, especially in women
· Promote kidney stones
· Weaken your immune system
· Cause severe, potentially fatal food allergies"

www.healthiertalk.com...

"From tofu and tacos to baby formula and burgers, soy products have swept the nation as a healthy source of protein, with a reputation for being all natural and good for you. New studies have however raised questions over whether the ingredients in soy might increase the risk of breast cancer in some women, affect brain function in men and lead to hidden developmental ab-normalities in infants."

www.healingdaily.com...

I'm sorry to be the one to tell you this but... everything causes cancer. Soon scientists will discover oxygen causes cancer. Its all about moderation. Everything is harmful in excess so just switch it up and my guess is plain old soy beans that are organic and not processed are going to be healthier.

Originally posted by Xiamara
I'm sorry to be the one to tell you this but... everything causes cancer. Soon scientists will discover oxygen causes cancer. Its all about moderation. Everything is harmful in excess so just switch it up and my guess is plain old soy beans that are organic and not processed are going to be healthier.

Yup. Most soy products in stores are GMO so be carefull.

[edit on 22-7-2010 by EisLeo]

reply to post by Xiamara


Thanks.... I agree with you. Everything does cause cancer.....but I have a stomach that can't handle much dairy and meat. So it is very hard to find food to cook with that is affordable and won't kill me. If that is possible. Personally, I love soy products and it's the only thing that seems to work with my stomach. Guess I will just limit my intake.

I would say yes,.. From what I have read,.. Natural soy is an estrogen booster,.. well this ok for women over 40 and not ok for MEN at all.
That is just one factoid.
There is a growing concern with men loosing their testosterone way too early and soy is a huge contributing issue..
Testosterone loss in men contributes to heart conditions.
Women have an increased chance of ovarian and breast cancers
of course BPA has been cited as an accomplice in this.. here is some info.
www.americanscientist.org...

www.healingdaily.com...
www.healingcrow.com...

reply to post by Happyfeet84


My best friend has an allergy to milk and she drinks various milks like soy and i believe almond milk? Its some milk made from a nut. Also you'll do more damage to your body if you force your self to drink something that is harmful you to than something that is potentially harmful. Just read the back of the box and try and find one that is as organic as possible and try researching Milk alternatives. They do exist.

reply to post by Happyfeet84


Yes, that's because soy contains a compound that acts like an estrogen. A lot of plants contain these phyto-estrogens. That's why they are often used as natural remedies for menopause symptom relief. Too much estrogen in your body can increase the risk of certain types of cancers.

Natural estrogens bind thyroid hormone in the body (estrogens bind about 25% of free thyroid hormone), and so do phyto-estrogens, it appears. That's why you get the thyroid problems.

[edit on 22-7-2010 by nikiano]

Originally posted by EisLeo


Yup. Most soy products in stores are GMO so be carefull.

The key bit of data here is GMO, not Soy. Any genetically modified organism is unnatural and the body will respond unnaturally.The same is true of GMO in dairy.

Franken-foods are the killer not the natural food itself.

[edit on 22-7-2010 by zroth]

reply to post by Happyfeet84
AS for you Dairy and meat intolerance
I was lactose intolerant
I couldn't drink milk and and eat ice cream.
and Beef was also hard on my stomach..
I did some research of food combos and the range of food allergies people had..
I found out I was lacking in many necessary nutrients, so I started eating healthier.
well a long story short.
I reduced my intake of breads with high yeast and soy products.
more fruits and vegies
fish and chicken meats an occasional red meat.
I take two Amino soft gels every day,.. very important part of needed body supplement.
and eat a radish every day,.. look up (health benefits of radishes)

My intolerance for many of the things I couldn't eat has gone away.
My opinion,.. get off the soy



hubpages.com...


[edit on 22-7-2010 by Lil Drummerboy]

Thanks for the information everyone, it is very helpful and making me reconsider my diet. Here I thought I was eating healthier. It seems as if everything we consume can be dangerous for us. Guess that is the reality of life. It is very hard to find foods that are not GMO.

Lil Drummerboy,

Thanks for the info... I am going to look into the benefits of radishes. They have been the one veggie I have never been a fan of, but I think I am going to have to suck it up.

reply to post by Happyfeet84


If you have a trader joes near you or a whole foods look into grain mils (rice, quinao, etc). They are tasty.

there are alternatives to dairy and soy.

I've researched it a lot in the past and it is really something to avoid. Eating chicken or turkey is a much much better choice for most people. Soy is GM for the most part, unless you get organic. Soy protein isolates are isolated using some pretty nasty chemicals that cause cancer, like hexane. I've read as well that the food is processed using aluminum equipment, leading to aluminum in the food. All around I'm convinced soy is something to avoid, even if it is organic.

Dr. Mercola has a lot of info on this. I think he says the only soy that you should eat is fermented soy. Other than that, avoid it. You have to feel sorry for people that eat soy, like vegetarians/vegans. People that eat soy, eat A LOT of it I'm guessing. And many of these people are pretty aware of what foods are healthy, yet soy is probably on the not so healthy list.



[edit on 22-7-2010 by ghaleon12]

Fermented soy is ok. Raw soy products are not so ok.

Soy produces endocrine disruptors that mimic estrogens. While they're not very active, they make up for it by having hellishly long half-lives in your body.

Which is why you don't feed your bull a lot of soybeans, generally.

Here is a great article about the troubles of monsanto...
Monsanto's Crops Spawning Superweed Epidemic in U.S.

If you need stronger poisons to kill the weeds, you need stronger resistances from the crops. So they alter the soy bean (and other plants) to extremes, causing our systems to malfunction when we consume it.

Babies can have reaction to the soy in formulas as well, which is pretty sad. I've read the phytoestrogens can boost the the total amount of estrogen to some pretty ridiculous levels. That can't be healthy for a baby. And of course since we are so smart in this country, the soy we give them is GM. Most seem to disagree that if you're going to be eating healthy at any point in your life, it should be when you're growing up.

SOY EUGENICS

Soy contains phyto-estrogens. Increasing estrogens can lead to cancer.
www.ourstolenfuture.org...

Soy on the U.S. market is Genetically Modified to contain BT toxin. BT toxins are a bacterial insecticide.
en.wikipedia.org...

Soy Isoflavones are Goiterogens (block Thyroid)
en.wikipedia.org...

Anti-thyroid isoflavones from soybean
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov...

reply to post by ghaleon12


That is interesting. When I was a baby, my stomach could not handle the fats in milk. The doctor told my Mom to put me on soy formula. I never had any problems with my development that I know of, besides not being able to spell haha. Anyways, when my mom told me this, my first thought/question to her was "was that healthy?" and she claims I never had any difficulties. That it was the only thing that my stomach could handle. It is interesting. I drink rice milk now.... don't know if that is safe either but, my stomach still has issues with dairy and Lactaid pills don't seem to work for me. Plus if I can avoid taking pills, I do.

The idiots that promote soy are the same idiots that told fast food joints to stop frying with beef tallow (mcdonalds) because of the "damaging" saturated fats of which it consists. Their recommendation, switch to partially hydrogenated vegetable oil, was taken to heart. In case you don't know what that is.....it's TRANS FAT.

Those idiots are a group of "doctors" and "researcher" called the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI). And those idiots are nothing more than a bunch of vegetarian doctors that cherry pick data and push an agenda of militant vegetarianism.

www.westonaprice.org...

Confused About Soy?--Soy Dangers Summarized
High levels of phytic acid in soy reduce assimilation of calcium, magnesium, copper, iron and zinc. Phytic acid in soy is not neutralized by ordinary preparation methods such as soaking, sprouting and long, slow cooking. High phytate diets have caused growth problems in children.
Trypsin inhibitors in soy interfere with protein digestion and may cause pancreatic disorders. In test animals soy containing trypsin inhibitors caused stunted growth.
Soy phytoestrogens disrupt endocrine function and have the potential to cause infertility and to promote breast cancer in adult women.
Soy phytoestrogens are potent antithyroid agents that cause hypothyroidism and may cause thyroid cancer. In infants, consumption of soy formula has been linked to autoimmune thyroid disease.
Vitamin B12 analogs in soy are not absorbed and actually increase the body's requirement for B12.
Soy foods increase the body's requirement for vitamin D.
Fragile proteins are denatured during high temperature processing to make soy protein isolate and textured vegetable protein.
Processing of soy protein results in the formation of toxic lysinoalanine and highly carcinogenic nitrosamines.
Free glutamic acid or MSG, a potent neurotoxin, is formed during soy food processing and additional amounts are added to many soy foods.
Soy foods contain high levels of aluminum which is toxic to the nervous system and the kidneys.

reply to post by DevolutionEvolvd


I understand that many food manufacturers who make foods with trans fats in them just reduced the stated serving size because they were allowed to have so much per serving and could still be called trans fat free...

here is a regemin that apparently cures type two diabeties
5 serving whole grains
4 servings deep green vegetables
3 servings fruit not grapes or oranges
2 servings lean protien
1hour exercise
half your body weight in pounds = water in onces.

I have an auto immune disease that strictly gets 10000x worse when I have soy. So I guess in some regards I am allergic to it, although I have encountered few others that are that I personally know of.