...But does that make soy bad? Does that make soy inherently unhealthy? Does soy have anything positive to add to our diet and health? The answers thus far are not at all clear. But here is a bit of what we know, and why we should care.
Over the years, soy has gone through more image changes than Madonna. Seen for years as a healthful food – a viable, protein-rich alternative to red meat – more recently soy foods have been said by some ‘health experts’ (I’m not meaning to be flippant, but really no one is a health expert) to lower testosterone levels in men, hamper thyroid function, reduce cognitive function, and block nutrient absorption. Most of these points can be refuted upon closer inspection, for example, soaking and fermenting soy minimises the phytic acid in it, an acid that interferes with iron and zinc absorption. Eating sensible rather than heroic amounts of soy also gets around many of the potential problems.
Here is where it all gets a bit tricky. Why? Because this innocuous looking seed/pea– Glycine max. – has been eaten for thousands of years in China and Japan, and is seen in those countries as integral to health.
Numerous large clinical studies suggest that people who regularly eat soy foods, such as people in Asia, have reduced menopausal symptoms, lower risk of heart disease and less osteoporosis. Some research has also found that eating soy foods can help prevent hormone-related cancers, such as breast, aggressive forms of prostate, and uterine cancer. And it is on the subject of cancer where the controversy really kicks in.
