Soy Milk - Truth Vs. Rumor?

Question

Ive herd so much stuff about how soy milk is really good for you and such, and then ive herd how it can have feminizing effects and it boosts estrogen levels and such. I drink soy milk and now its really starting to confuse me whether i should keep drinking it from hearing all this rubbish. Anyone got any hard facts on this case?

Answer 1

I have been drinking soy milk for years. I also drink rice and almond milk. Maybe it's the dairy industry propaganda machine cautioning against soy. Soy has been consumed for centuries....by the same people who's life expectancy surpasses ours no-less. So, there you go. I have never noticed any change. Now, Green Tea is another story. That stuff makes me type really bad on a pc (miss placed letters)...Anyone else notice that?

Answer 2

Ok.  Here's my story.  I converted to soy milk last December, in an effort to be healthier.  My menstual cycle started getting all out of whack.  I was not myself.  I suddenly started to cry on the spot, and I am not a cryer by nature.  I was unusually defensive, my moods were back and forth (brutally exhausting), and my skin started breaking out.  Worst of all, I was beginning the happiest point of my life and I could not for the life of me figure out what was going on.  I did all kinds of stuff to try to alleviate what was going on, like taking supplements and herbs, stuff like that.  This went on for almost 8 months.  Never suspected soy as the culprit.  

     Now.  It so happened that I called the local co-op to find out if they had a product I was looking for (geranium oil, another desperate solution), and they didn't have any.  The woman who I was speaking to is a naturopath and asked me about my diet.  I proudly told her about my soymilk habit, amongst other things that were also contributing to this craziness, evening primrose oil and flax.  As soon as she heard soymilk, she said stop. Now.  It's called estrogen dominance and it's very real.  Do a search.  Soy is a drug, a very potent drug.  You can not trust the soy industry, and no, I am not a big meat eater.  Soy is poison.  The reason people are misguided is the result of a hugely successful marketing campaign.  I tell you from personal experience only, I got my life back after I stopped soy.  And as far as the Asian myth, they mostly use soy as a condiment, not the staple like everybody thinks.  And they ferment it, too, because they know the soybean needs to go through that process before it is edible.  Also, did you know that Japenese housewives serve tofu to their husbands when they want to decrease their s*x drive (for whatever reason!)?Anyway, try going to soyonlineservice.com they have a lot of info.  Just wanted to share my personal story cause more people need to know about this and unless they look around they're never going to know just how dangerous this drug is.  I know first-hand.

Answer 3

that's a myth.

produced by the dairy council.

no kidding..  

Answer 4

i used to think soy was excellent too...until i read about the devastating effects it can have on people...soy naturally has huge levels of estrogen and aluminum [which it soaks up from the ground]. the estrogen in it is probably only good for menopausal women, who need the extra boost. i dropped soy and haven't touched it since. better be safe than sorry.

Answer 5

I'm married to a Registered Dietitian. Dietitians and Doctors are not taking this seriously. The people who are saying soy has all these terrible effects generally don't have any recognized credentials in health care or nutrition. They have meaningless titles like "internationally known expert on soy." You can believe in naturopaths if you want to, but I have never seen a real hospital with naturopaths on it's staff. I have gone to professional conferences about health care and nutrition issues and soy isn't even mentioned; the big topics are obesity and diabetes.

The only physician I ever heard of who promotes this idea has been sued by the FDA for making unsubstantiated claims about food supplements he is selling. He doesn't sound like a reputable doctor to me.

The American Dietetic Association, the American Medical Association and similar organizations are not backing up the scare stories about soy.

Therefore, I don't believe it.I think it's a bunch of media hype and distorted statistics.

Sure, use soy with moderation. Don't use it all if you have an allergy or if it makes you sick. But that goes for any other food item as well.

The thing about Asian people using soy only as a condiment or only fermented soy being safe are myths. I have known Chinese people who eat tofu with sugar sprinkled on it for breakfast every day. That story appears to have been made up by whoever is promoting this "dangers of soy" thing.

Another part of this; people who believe in it will also claim the medical establishment is "repressing the truth" on soy as some kind of conspiracy. Ever notice how people who believe stronlgy in unestablished ideas nearly always have a conspiracy theory to go along with it?

Edit: To Mrs B. Please accept my apology. I was just trying to address some points that some of the other answerers brought up. It didn't even occur to me that I would come off like I was picking on you in particular. I did not mean to single you out or insult you in any way.

Answer 6

ive drank soy milk exclusively for a few years now and notice no difference in my body from drinking cows milk.  

Answer 7

i hear ya.  I was and am confused about soy products sometimes because I went to buy some soy powder and the person that worked at GNC said it wasn't good for males.  I dismissed her because she didn't seem to know what she was talking about.

anyhoo, I don't drink as much soymilk and tofu as before, but I still think soy is a good source of protein.  I truly believe leafy greens and veggies are where the health is at.   soy complements a healthy diet though.

Answer 8

People have been ingesting soy for thousands of years, it has no "feminizing" powers.  It's completely safe to eat/drink soy products.  You should be scared of the hormones in cow's milk.

Answer 9

Soy is consumed daily and in large amounts in all of Asia - far as I know it has been for thousands of years.  I wouldn't worry about it.

Did you know that the U.S. allows the highest amount of pus/blood in the milk of dairy cows of any industrialized country??  Well, they do - that's a fact.

Stick with the soy - if too concerned, try rice milk, almond, oat, etc.  Cow's milk is for baby cows.