The Soy Conundrum: The Bad News

Written by: Cassie Vanderwall

It was recently brought to my attention that all soy and soy-containing products are not created equal. In fact, certain types of soy may not be the healthiest alternative for vegetarians, vegans and/or those averse to dairy. This spurred the following investigation.

Soy established roots on American soil in the 1920’s when the government compensated farmers for growing this crop. Today, the United States produces almost 50% of the world’s soy beans. Most of this produce is provided to animals as feed, similar to corn. Soy farming is now worth big bucks, especially after the additional funds farmers received to help meet the bio-diesel demand. On average, soy farming is worth more than $12 billion today. 

In the 1990’s, soy and soy-based foods inherited a halo for health, based on a variety of claims, including:

• Reduces hot flashes and night sweats,
• Promote bone health,
• Heart healthy and decreases risk of cardiovascular disease,
• Complete vegetarian protein source, and
• May have cognitive benefits

Americans began to demand this trendy super food on their plate in the 1990’s and new product development and sales sky-rocketed ($1 billion in 1996 to $4.9 billion in 2010), while the cost of soy remains relatively inexpensive. The majority of this increase can be attributed to energy bars with soy protein.

I have concluded that the problem is that most Americans are not consuming soy in the form that does provide all of these health benefits. The easiest designation is fermented versus non-fermented soy and soy products.

People currently reach for a variety of non-fermented soy products, including: soy milk, soy cheese, veggie burgers and sausage, high protein cereals, and several soy snack foods like chips, ice cream and protein bars. Soybean oil has also snuck its way into a variety of other processed foods not touted for their health benefits (chips, margarine, mayo).

Non-fermented soy products such as those mentioned above can be deemed unhealthy for the following reasons:

• The natural soy bean contains “anti-nutrients,” specifically phytic acid, which decreases the absorption of healthful nutrients (iron, zinc). If the body is deficient in iron or zinc, it also has difficulties using calcium, magnesium and copper. It is important to note that soy has lower phytic acid content than wheat and rice. Phytic acid in these grains and beans can be decreased by soaking them prior to consumption.
• Soy is also high in protease (trypsin) inhibitors, which as they sound stop trypsin in its tracks. This can limit digestion of these proteins when the soy is consumed raw, however when cooked/processed this effect decreases.
• Agglutinin, a lectin protein, can bind to carbohydrate molecules and may present as antigens in the body that increase an inflammatory response. They also may reduce growth in children; however this research has been done primarily in rats.
• Additionally, we learned about soy’s goitrogenic activity from a previous blog (Save the Thyroid).
• Many of the health benefits are generated from soy’s phyto-estrogen content. These plant-based hormones are able to mimic the effects of estrogen and thus often disrupt normal endocrine processes and pathways. This can result in difficulties with menstruation, thyroid problems, decreased libido, female-like traits in men and may encourage breast cancer development in women who are estrogen receptor positive (ER+).
• Processed soy proteins such as: isolated soy protein, soy lecithin, TSP, TVP,  result in glutamic acid, or the mother of MSG (monosodium glutamate). Many foods may contain 3 or more of these processed sources; Check out those labels and see:

• Soybean oils are treated with chemical solvents (hexane) to promote efficient extraction of the oil under intense heat and pressure. This process results in rancid, hydrogenated, trans-fatty oil that acts like butter.
• Most soy farmed today is genetically modified, which opens its own “can of worms.”

 Counter-points to many of these jabs at soy are addressed here, however it is important to consider the source as we should with all health information. So, this is the bad news but, hold on there’s some better news on the way. Soy can remain a part of the American meal plan. Stay tuned for the good news!