Should soy be avoided?

The humble soy bean likely averted mass starvation and malnutrition in china. It's a miracle food; a nearly perfect balance of all the macros.

http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/9873/2

A snack of Edamame provided a steady balance of energy to this diabetic.

There was more concern about the phytoestrogens in soy but most of that has been debunked -- except in the case where soy has been reduced to "textured vegetable protein" and even then, the concern is only with heavy consumption of it. Almost anything, eaten to extreme, could run you the risk of some side effect or reaction. The press, particularly the diet press, loves taking these things to extreme.

Here's a more balanced approach to soy from a reliable, science-based source: Harvard's School of Public Health. http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/2014/02/12/straight-talk-about-soy/

And here's a more thorough discussion regarding textured vegetable protein from the US National Institute of Health: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1480510/

Soy is one of the most studied foods and certainly one of the most controversial. Part of what complicates it is that many of the studies touting soy as a superfood or a danger have been small. I don't think there is evidence that soy is harmful for those of us without an underlying medical condition or allergy. Keep in mind that studies showing cancer in rodents consuming soy have been brought into question by the finding that rodents metabolize a key isoflavone in soy differently than we do.

Some studies, however, do indicate that there is a difference between more processed soy (things like texturized vegetable protein and the soy flour/lecithin in your products) and less processed soy (like tofu and tempeh). Humans have been eating tofu, tempeh, and other less processed soy for generations -- we've been eating more processed soy for much less time.

I don't avoid more processed soy specifically -- I am not convinced by evidence that it is harmful.

When reviewing studies, I would pay attention to how large the study was, what type of soy was being studied, who was funding it, and whether or not it involved humans or another animal.

I eat soy several times a week (soy milk most days and tofu/tempeh 1-4 times a week). I don't think the evidence shows that this level of consumption puts me at risk.

sup3rb3ast wrote: »

janejellyroll wrote: »

When reviewing studies, I would pay attention to how large the study was, what type of soy was being studied, who was funding it, and whether or not it involved humans or another animal.

This! Any quack with an internet connection can submit information to the internet. You want to look for peer-reviewed scholarly articles, articles written by accredited people such as university professors, people you can google for information and references, and always make sure you find out who is funding the research. Even the most sound scientific information can be warped and misrepresented to suit a person's (or company's) needs. Peer-reviewed articles have been reviewed by other scientists and replicated before publishing, so it is bit more difficult to misrepresent information.

With things like this, I do some research from my university's databases, and I see how the food affects me personally, and decide from there.

Great point -- I certainly should have mentioned the enormous important of peer review.