Download Suzanne Chaney wrote a great article

To Eat Soy Or Not…Here Are The Facts by Suzanne Chaney
One of the top 10 nutrition myths is...Soy is Dangerous. Urban legends abound about
soy...proclaiming that it causes everything from feminizing effects in men to breast cancer.
Lets look at the facts. Soy is a near perfect food. It is a rich source of high quality protein,
fiber and 12 essential nutrients. Soy is one of the most widely studied foods and one of the
most controversial.
Soy safety is questioned mainly in questionable websites. The Dr. Mercola website comes
to mind. Steve always says, “Dr. Mercola never lets the facts get in the way of a sensational
story.”
One of the major concerns about soy is soy’s rich isoflavones (phytoestrogen) content which
was thought to promote cancer in mice. It is now known that rodents metabolize
phytoestrogens differently than humans. In humans, recent studies have shown that the
isoflavones bind to a different estrogen receptor site that may actually suppress tumors. “There
has been a mistaken equating of soy phytoestrogens with the hormone estrogen. However,
extensive human research has shown isoflavones and estrogen often act very differently,” says
Dr. Mark Messina professor at Loma Linda University, and executive director of the Soy
Nutrition Institute.
A little more about isoflavones...they are among a group of naturally-occurring compounds
known as phytoestrogens (plant estrogens). They are very different from the hormone
estrogen. In fact, isoflavones are more accurately classified as selective estrogen receptor
modulators (SERMs). The effects of SERMs vary depending upon a variety of
circumstances. SERMs like isoflavones may have estrogen-like effects, but depending on a
number of factors, they may also have effects opposite to those of estrogen or no effects at all
in tissues that are affected by estrogen. Therefore, looking at the health effects of estrogen
doesn’t provide much information about how isoflavones act. The only way to understand the
effects of isoflavones is to look directly at their biological activity in clinical studies.
In contrast to the mouse study referred to above, human research is supportive not only of
the safety but also of potential benefit of the isoflavones in soy. In clinical studies, when female
subjects were given either soyfoods or the isoflavones from soyfoods, there was no effect on
indicators of breast cancer risk such as breast tissue density or breast cell proliferation. In
contrast to isoflavones, estrogen hormone therapy, which increases breast cancer risk,
increased breast tissue density and breast cell proliferation. Recent studies from China and the
United States show that soy consumption after diagnosis of breast cancer reduces recurrence
and improves survival.
I don’t know about you, but soy is looking pretty good to me and I love the taste and the way
my Shaklee 180 soy smoothie at breakfast makes me feel...full of energy and no drop in my
blood sugar. I stay satisfied all morning.
Soyfoods and male reproduction: The estrogen-like effects of isoflavones have led to
concerns that soyfoods may exert feminizing effects in men, but a wealth of human data show
these concerns to be without merit. Clinical research shows that neither soy nor isoflavones
lower testosterone or adversely affect sperm or semen. In many of these studies, soy intake
was far beyond what is typical for Asian men, so the lack of effect is very reassuring. In fact an
Italian study suggested that isoflavones could be a treatment for low sperm count.
Thyroid function and soy: I am sure you have been told to avoid soy if you are on thyroid
medication. Here are the facts from the experts. Soy isoflavones can interfere with thyroid
function in lab animals. But the good news is we are not lab animals. We are humans and soy
isoflavones have no effect on thyroid activity in healthy people. Two three-year studies found
no effects of large amounts of soy on thyroid function. As a result, the evidence overwhelmingly
supports the safety of soy in regards to thyroid function.
In those individuals who need to take synthetic thyroid hormone, soyfoods are among many
foods that can reduce absorption of this medication if taken at the same time. It is best to take
thyroid medication an hour before breakfast regardless of whether your breakfast commonly
contains soy or not.
Fermented versus unfermented soy foods: Fermented soyfoods were the first forms of
soy to be consumed. However, historical records indicate that unfermented soy has been
consumed for at least 1000 years. Commonly-consumed fermented soyfoods include natto,
miso, and tempeh. Unfermented soyfoods include edamame (green soybeans), tofu, soymilk,
and isolated soy protein (like Shaklee’s 180 Smoothie mixes and Energizing Soy Protein)
Fermented and unfermented soyfoods have similar protein and isoflavone contents. The
fermentation of soybeans does reduce the amount of protease inhibitors, compounds which can
inhibit protein digestion in the soybean. However, protein digestibility of protein from
unfermented soyfoods is excellent, typically exceeding 90%. And high purity isolated soy protein
such as you find in Shaklee’s 180 Smoothies mix and Shaklee’s Energizing Soy Protein contain
no protease inhibitors at all. They have been removed in the purification process. The evidence
shows that both forms of soy, fermented and unfermented, are beneficial in a healthy diet. That
is the good news!