Should you be eating soy?
One Minute For Your Health #25
Half the people I meet tout soy as a superfood that will save the environment, while others believe it’s a devil food that destroys the environment.
So what’s the truth? Are you as confused as I was?
Then read today’s post to learn about the research behind both view points.
Humans grow enough soy to provide every single person on earth with about 45kg of soy per year. Most of this soy doesn’t end up on our tables though. Humans consume mostly soybean oil, whilst livestock are fed huge quantities of the soy we grow.
We know that soy fed animals produce more omega-6, the more inflammatory counter-part to omega-3. This is why eating grass-fed animals is so much better for you than eating grain-fed animals.
But is it also better for humans not to eat soy? Let’s look at some of the controversies.
Soy imbalances hormones vs. soy prevents breast cancer
Okinawans, who eat more soy than any other culture - usually in the form of tofu and miso - have 80% less incidence of breast cancer than the rest of the world.
Indeed, there are a few studies which suggest that regular soy consumption, particularly in the traditional forms like tofu and miso, can protect from breast cancer (and other cancers).
On the other hand, soy also has phytoestrogenic properties - this means it may mimic the function of oestrogen in the body. And oestrogen dominance can be a trigger for breast cancer 🤷♀️
One study tried to pick these effects apart and found that isolated soy products (like the additives commonly used in processed foods) can stimulate tumour growth of a specific type of breast cancer.
More complex soy products (like tofu and miso) on the other hand did not stimulate tumour growth.
Conclusion? Choose traditional soy products over processed foods with soy additives.
Soy is amazing for the environment vs. soy destroys the environment
Soy is grown across vast areas of many countries - in fact, together with wheat and corn, it probably covers the biggest proportion of arable land.
Any kind of crop monoculture can lead to depleted soils, reduced yield and increased risk of drought. However, rotating soy with other crops can increase soil fertility as soy has the ability to bind nitrogen to the soil. This is a good thing 👍
But note that I said rotate. We can’t just keep planting soy on the same fields and expect the soil will continue to remain nutrient rich.
The other problem is that 94% of soy is genetically modified. It’s been modified to better survive herbicides and pesticides.
Which means conventionally farmed soy is likely rich in pesticides and herbicides like glyphosate.
This is not good for our health and it’s not good for the environment.
Conclusion? Choose organically and responsibly farmed soy over conventionally farmed soy.
Soy is super nutritious vs. soy is junk food
Soy is one of the only plant sources of all 9 essential amino acids that our body needs to thrive.
This makes it an excellent source of protein for vegans (and the rest of us too).
It’s also rich in antioxidants and nutrients like folate and magnesium, which are both essential for optimal health.
But remember - the health benefits come from the whole package: the fibre, the antioxidants, the protein, the nutrients.
Once soy has been processed into oil, ice cream or some of the super processed meat alternatives out there it has much less of the health benefits it’s touted for.
Conclusion? Choose minimally processed soy products like edamame beans, tofu, tempeh, miso, soy milk, natto and tamari. Avoid brightly packaged, super processed meat alternatives that promise to ‘taste like the real thing’.
The Bottom Line.
Soy, when farmed responsibly (preferably organically) and eaten in traditional ways, may have health benefits and can be a nutritious alternative to animal protein.
When farmed irresponsibly and eaten in its super processed forms soy does not benefit the environment or your health.
Do you love soy or hate soy?
Comment on this post so we can talk about it 🤩
Know someone who is confused about soy? Share this article with them to help clear things up.
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P.s. Fun fact - in 1941 Ford revealed a car made out out of ‘soy bean plastic’. Whilst the car never entered production and no record of the actual formula for this soy bean plastic exists today I find it fascinating that even back then companies were looking at alternative resources for making plastic (and building cars).
Links and References:
Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (2020). GMO Crops, Animal Food, and Beyond. [online] U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Available at: https://www.fda.gov/food/agricultural-biotechnology/gmo-crops-animal-food-and-beyond [Accessed 18 Jan. 2021].
https://foodrevolution.org/blog/soy-facts-is-soy-healthy/?utm_source=ontraport&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=blo-2020&utm_content=truth-about-soy-promo-2-follow-up-to-unopens
https://www.agriculture.com/news/crops/world-soybean-production-to-rise-by-8-percent-says-grains-council
OCS — Okinawa Research Center for Longevity Sciences (2014). Okinawa Research Center for Longevity Sciences. [online] Okinawa Research Center for Longevity Sciences. Available at: https://orcls.org/ocs [Accessed 18 Jan. 2021].
de Lemos, M.L. (2001). Effects of Soy Phytoestrogens Genistein and Daidzein on Breast Cancer Growth. Annals of Pharmacotherapy, [online] 35(9), pp.1118–1121. Available at: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1345/aph.10257 [Accessed 18 Jan. 2021].
Rémy Bosviel, Elise Dumollard, Pierre Déchelotte, Yves-Jean Bignon, and Dominique Bernard-Gallon.OMICS: A Journal of Integrative Biology.May 2012.235-244.http://doi.org/10.1089/omi.2011.0105
Helferich, W.G., Andrade, J.E. and Hoagland, M.S. (2008). Phytoestrogens and breast cancer: a complex story. Inflammopharmacology, [online] 16(5), pp.219–226. Available at: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10787-008-8020-0 [Accessed 18 Jan. 2021].
McDaniel, M.D., Grandy, A.S., Tiemann, L.K. and Weintraub, M.N. (2014). Crop rotation complexity regulates the decomposition of high and low quality residues. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, [online] 78, pp.243–254. Available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0038071714002740 [Accessed 18 Jan. 2021].
McDaniel, M.D., Tiemann, L.K. and Grandy, A.S. (2014). Does agricultural crop diversity enhance soil microbial biomass and organic matter dynamics? A meta-analysis. Ecological Applications, [online] 24(3), pp.560–570. Available at: https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1890/13-0616.1 [Accessed 18 Jan. 2021].
McDaniel, M.D. and Grandy, A.S. (2016). Soil microbial biomass and function are altered by 12 years of crop rotation. SOIL, [online] 2(4), pp.583–599. Available at: https://soil.copernicus.org/articles/2/583/2016/ [Accessed 18 Jan. 2021].
Center for Nutrition Studies. (2010). The Crucial Soy Link - Center for Nutrition Studies. [online] Available at: https://nutritionstudies.org/crucial-soy-link/ [Accessed 18 Jan. 2021].
Haoqing Wu, Ziang Zhang, Haiqiu Huang and Li, Z. (2017). Health benefits of soy and soy phytochemicals. AME Medical Journal, [online] 2(10). Available at: https://amj.amegroups.com/article/view/4137/4874 [Accessed 18 Jan. 2021].
Woo, H.W., Kim, M.K., Lee, Y.-H., Shin, D.H., Shin, M.-H. and Choi, B.Y. (2018). Habitual consumption of soy protein and isoflavones and risk of metabolic syndrome in adults ≥ 40 years old: a prospective analysis of the Korean Multi-Rural Communities Cohort Study (MRCohort). European Journal of Nutrition, [online] 58(7), pp.2835–2850. Available at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30264377/ [Accessed 18 Jan. 2021].
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