BLOG: The dark side of soybean

There has been much written about the benefits of “going vegetarian” for general health as well as being considerate of our fellow animals. Whatever the reason, getting enough protein is always a challenge for those who shun animal sources. You can’t just give up meat and expect to be healthy, because true health does require that balance of protein, fats and carbohydrates.

One of the main sources of protein for vegetarians is soy. Many authors (and physicians as well) recommend substituting soy for animal protein. Soy protein is a protein that is isolated from soybean. It is made from soybean meal that has been de-hulled and defatted. De-hulled and defatted soybeans are processed into three kinds of high protein commercial products: soy flour, concentrates, and isolates. Soy protein isolate has been used since 1959 in foods for its functional properties. Recently, soy protein popularity has increased due to its use in health food products, and many countries allow health claims for foods rich in soy protein.

However, new evidence has come to light about the "dark side" of the soybean, and it just keeps getting worse. It's more than just the isoflavones (phyto-estrogenic substances) connected most horribly with our sky-rocketing rates of breast, prostatic, ovarian, uterine and cervical cancers (obviously there are other collaborative factors as well), but also the loss of fertility and feminization of males.

Equally troubling are studies demonstrating the goitrogenic (thyroid-destroying) properties that can occur in animals or humans eating soy or soy products. The most recent, and perhaps most disturbing, indictments against soybeans are that they have been shown to be a causal factor in neurological disease. Definitively associated with ADD/ADHD, depression, anxiety, dementia, mental health issues in general and, most recently, seizures. Add to this chronic inflammation of the digestive tract (bloat, gas, pain, colitis and diverticulitis), potential for auto-immune issues and, last but not least, endocrine disruption (infertility, sterility, diminished heats, low sperm counts and more).

Much of what has been revealed scientifically was brought to the attention of the eating public by Kaayla Daniel, PhD, who wrote the book on it, The Whole Soy Story: The Dark Side of America's Favorite Health Food, and who has stuck her neck out to make a stand against the flow. In addition to being a great writer and true scientist, Dr. Daniel is a founding board member of the Weston A. Price Foundation.

Is it important to make such a fuss over something so ingrained (no pun intended) in our national diet? The average American would not describe his or her diet as "soy-based," yet more than 60% of packaged and processed foods contain soy ingredients, as does 100% of fast food. Now 25% of the bottle-fed babies in America grow up on soy formula (there's a real scary thought). Most other countries are much freer to block the use of so much soy, perhaps because their governmental food policies are not dictated by corporate “agri-biz” giants.

We now know that populations of Americans who are forced to eat an average of 100 g of soy products a day (that's 100 mg of isoflavones daily) are falling apart. This cluster of pathology is most readily apparent in captive populations that are served soy-laced protein substitutes on a daily basis, such as prisoners. If that isn't enough to shock you, how about the other "captive populations" fed catered "rations" such as the widespread uses of soy products in the feeding of school children, hospital patients, soldiers and nursing home residents? All of these groups are being deluged with more and more fake food.

Oh, by the way, don't let people tell you soybeans must be safe because the Asian population "lives on it.” They don't. As Dr. Daniel's books, lectures and articles inform us, the soy plant, which was apparently domesticated in China, was primarily utilized as a cover crop plant (it is a legume after all) and, for the most part, plowed down. Their consumption of soy as a food item is more as a "condiment" to other foods and always utilizes fermentation, a process that neutralizes many of the problems in the plant. This would include foods such as tempeh, natto, tofu and tamari. They, of course, do not have genetically modified organism (GMO) soybeans — which is another huge can of worms. In our country, it is very dangerous to blow that whistle, too.

So, speaking of GMO, note that more than 95% of the soybean crop is GMO. While the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has cleared the incorporation of GMO use of many products, I believe the jury is still out on the consequences of using GMO technology — but the writing is on the wall.