There have been some book published lately (the ones I know of are published in the US) regarding the dangers of eating soy.
I do believe eating too much soy can cause problems. My partner, who had been vegan and had eaten lots and lots of soy, started having trouble with weight control – possibly due to the soy affecting her thyroid. It took her eighteen months of not eating soy to get her weight back to normal and where she felt healthy. So, my experience means I am inclined to accept what these books have to say.
I do have some problems though.
Some of the writing seems over the top. Soy seems to be being blamed for just about all our health problems. I think this is partly due to the style of writing and partly because it is easier to get attention this way.
Some of the evidence sited isn’t particularly strong. Some of it is based on correlation – eg. sperm count is lower in men with higher consumption of soy. It may be true that these men have other things in common – perhaps they follow football rather than tennis for instance. It may be that soy is the reason, but it may be that this isn’t the reason too. However, this is the only kind of evidence that can be available before more in depth work is done. Most things start out as observation of correlation. And there is some better quality evidence available.
For me, it is worth drawing attention to the possibility that soy is causing you some problems. Especially if you are a vegetarian, especially if you are a vegan, who has a lot of soy in your diet.
There is a website that presents well the case for the dangers of soy, called Shireley’s Wellness Cafe.
I think it is worthwhile having this kind of information out there. Shirley is quite consciously promoting the view that is not mainstream at the moment. She says:
One aim of my website is to present views which do not necessarily conform to the views of the establishment. It is very easy to find views which conform to the establishment’s views. It is very often difficult to find opposing views. Therefore, you can read the views presented on my website and then visit other websites which present opposing views, and then you can make up your own mind. For example, John Robbins, author of Diet for a New America writes: “There are legitimate questions about certain soyfoods, and much we have yet to learn. Becoming soy-a-holics and automatically downing anything made from soybeans is not the road to health, but neither is shunning and stigmatizing soyfoods. The anti-soy crusade has needlessly frightened many away from a food source that has long been a boon to humankind, a food source that can, if we are respectful of our bodies and of nature, nourish and bless us in countless ways.”
Shirley has many links to resources about the dangers of soy. I think it is a great resource.
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