Is soy-based food products really can harm your health?

Question

Hello guys.I love to consume soy milk and I can say for sure that I never had any serious illness and I feel very healthy.As a Malaysian,It has become our favourite beverage.In fact,I buy iced soy milk 2 to 3 times every week on the way back home from my workplace in KLCC at the beverage stall nearby.All I can say is that I just love the taste.I believe a frequent consumptions of soy milk makes my body stronger,healthier and it's a cheap and easy way to get natural protein.I'm the only person in my family that has the strongest immunity towards illness such as flu,colds and fever.I never skip school or work for my whole entire life because i'm healthy.

I was shocked to find an article in the news lately that says frequent consumptions of soy products can increase the chance of getting cancer,shrinking your brain volume or even causes infertility among male.I think It's totally irrational to think negatively about soy products.I think It's a good food product in the market these days.I have no clue about who actually conduct the experiment on the soy bean and suddenly came up with a theory that soy products can harm you.Stupid,nonsense to say the least!...

I don't know about you guys out there in the United States but we here In Malaysia love to drink soy milk or eat a tofu.It doesn't effect our health at all but those who never had soy in their life that were known to had a deadly disease down here.

Would you guys like to give some comments about my question here?...Please do.

Answer 1

Soya proteins contain isoflavones that can mimic a weak oestrogen effect. It's not the same as the oestrogen your own body makes though - it is 1,000 times weaker than your own body's oestrogen, but it's this that has led to concerns (and rumour) about oestrogen dependent cancer and about adverse effects on men,

In fact there is NO actual scientific evidence that soya causes, prevents, contributes to or affects the progress of any cancer, including oestrogen positive breast cancer, which is the one most often cited. There are those in the field who argue that isoflavones may be of help in preventing breast cancer or be beneficial to women who have had breast cancer.

There is current research into whether increasing phyto oestrogens in the diet helps to prevent breast or prostate cancer, and a study in 2002 found that women with the highest levels of soya products in their diets had the lowest breast density - higher breast density being associated with higher breast cancer risk. This is the first time that soya has been found to have a direct effect on breast tissue.

Women with the highest levels of isoflavones in their diet are reported to have significant risk reductions for uterine cancer.

I have had oestrogen/hormone dependent breast cancer, and have never been cautioned against soya.

There are concerns about soya and certain thyroid conditions, but I don't have sufficient knowledge to comment on that.

Answer 2

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RjZs0DGW1...

Visit this link.... it will explain

Answer 3

The benefits hugely outway any negative impacts.  Soy is a great and healthy food - not to mention tasty :D  You are far more likely to get cancer from drinking animal milk - especially if that animal is factory farmed, as they are given hormones and estrogen which comes through in their milk along side the puss and blood [yuk].

Soy is used in the prevention of many cancers, heart disease, osteoporosis and much much more.  It also improves blood sugar levels in diabetics .  My wife had gestational diabetes when she was pregnant and found it impossibe to regulate her sugars when not eating/drinking soy.

Answer 4

Soy milk and tofu are very safe. Sadly, there have been some propaganda type articles circulating out there that are not based on solid science. One of the issues with soy is some New Agey nutritionists started advising people to take soy suppliments, which isn't necessary and could be the source of some of the negative results in the studies. The cautionary articles will even say that consumption of soy is low in Asian countries. Even though, anyone who has traveled or lived in an Asian country knows that to be false. (In Japan, one will be served miso soup at least once a day.)

For vegans, it's important to vary our diets and not depend on soy as our only source of protein, and to be sure to get adequate iodine (which is really the issue with thyroid disease - a Dr. telling you that you can't have soy because of a thyroid condition is wrong).

Keep enjoying your soy milk and tofu - you'll be in the group that stays healthy and lives longer. Don't worry about lots of the junk that circulates on the internet.

Answer 5

everything nowadays causes cancer or some kind of desease, according to the idiots that tell us.

i haven't heard about soy being bad for you(i probably will though) so if you like it, drink it. milk was good for us to and now "they" say drink soy instead.

Answer 6

In the US we have dairy and meat industries with WAY too much money to burn. If someone has a lot of money they can pay to have any lie backed up by "science".

People that use their own logic know that many people in Asia and the Asia-Pacific eat soy alongside meat or without on a regular basis and suffer none of the ill effects that many "studies" claim to be due to soy consumption.

The US is one of the nations that consumed the most cow's milk and dairy products and also happens to have the highest rates of osteoporosis.

Answer 7

I can't have soy products because of a thyroid problem.