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Soy protein isolate (SPI) or textured vegetable protein
(TVP), often used as a meat substitute by vegetarians, is found in a huge range
of foods and it is extremely difficult therefore to know how much we are
consuming. Nowdays we can find soy in
supermarket bread, cakes, biscuits, yoghurts, ice cream, mayonaise, dips,
sauces, canned soups, dried soup mixes
and in a wide range of ready made and takeaway meals. It will not always be listed as soy under the ingredients and may
appear as ‘lethicin', ‘emulsifier' or ‘vegetable fat', hydrolized vegetable
protein and a range of other names. All
chocolate, except very dark, (85 percent cocoa solids ), contains soy. Unspecified vegetable oil is usually a blend
of oils containing soy oil. Sandwich
spreads with the exception of pure butter are made with a highly processed form
of soy isolate and are frequently marketed as being a ‘healthy' cholesterol
lowering alternative. Human studies to
determine the cholesterol lowering properties of soy protein isolate have never
shown it to be effective. Nevertheless, soy is frequently promoted as having beneficial effects on
cholesterol levels.
Phytates, found in all seeds and grains, are particularly
high in soybeans. Phytates, cannot be
destroyed by heating and prevent the uptake of essential minerals in the
digestive tract, especially zinc, but also magnesium, iron and calcium and is
most likely the reason why strict vegetarians often suffer mineral
deficiencies.
Soy, although favoured by many vegetarians as an alternative
to meat, is not a complete protein. It
lacks methionine and cysteine, the antioxidant sulfur amino acids and is
therefore rendered useless by the body without the compliment of meat, eggs or
dairy products. Animals fed on soy are always given additional amino acids to
restore the amino acid complex in protein.
Soy is high in very potent ‘antinutrients' which cannot be
entirely eliminated during processing and cause stunted growth by blocking the
function of the enzyme trypsin. As
trypsin is involved in the breakdown of protein it becomes obvious that
replacing protein meat meals with soy is self defeating. Trypsin is added to
commercial baby food for that purpose;
to break down protein molecules too large for an infant to digest.
Soy contains high levels of phytoestrogens especially
genistein and diadzen. These are toxic
endocrine disrupting isoflavone phytoestrogens and consumption may result in
thyroid dysfunction leading to lethargy, fatigue with unexplained weight gain
or weight loss and associated problems.
Some women who consume large quantities of soy based products have
noticed hair thinning or hair loss which is distressing, but the symptoms
disappear and hair growth returns to normal when soy is excluded from their
diet.
Male Fertility and Estrogen Mimicking Compounds
In vitro studies show that isoflavones cause reproductive
problems and infertility. They obstruct
the synthesis of natural hormones resulting in thyroid and liver disease,
stunted development and ‘gender bending' - observed in several species of
animals including mice, pigs, rats, sheep, quail and sturgeon.
Genistein is an estrogen mimicking compound and readily
attaches itself to the estrogen receptors.
As estrogen is a female hormone not normally found in large quantities
in men, scientists have done many studies to examine the effects of genistein
on male animals. Tests carried out in
1995 on adult mice and rats show that soy isolate blocked the male hormone DHT
(dihydrotestosterone) and resulted in demasculinization, low sperm count and
infertility. This effect was temporary
as all the animals gradually reverted to normal when soy isolate was
discontinued.
However, a more serious long term problem arose with
permanent consequences for the developing male fetus exposed to
phytoestrogens. At this critical
male/female differential stage even low doses of genistein fed to mother rats
derailed the biological process and caused feminization of male genitalia, a
reduced penile size and altered behavioural patterns on reaching puberty. A lack of interest in females was observed
while aggressive behaviour in the males decreased and defensive behaviour
increased.
Infants
The estrogen factor means that babies fed on soy formula
will take in the equivalent of five birth control pills daily. In 1992 the Swiss health service estimated
that 100 grams of soy protein provided the estrogenic equivalent of one birth
control pill. Infants and small
children fed on soy protein display early maturation and precocious behaviour
with a documented case of one two year old girl developing pubic hair and
breasts. Infant soy based formula has
been banned in the UK unless with the recommendation of a medic.
The Older Generation
Dr Lon White speaking at the Third International Soy
Symposium reported that middle aged individuals with a history of consuming
tofu (a fermented soy product), had "lower cognitive function and a greater
incidence of Alzheimer's disease and dementia." and "…those who ate a lot of tofu, by the time they were 75
or 80 looked five years older".
Soy has been widely embraced by food manufacturers as a
cheap alternative to traditional food for reducing costs and increasing profit
margins. Meat content of many foods can
be reduced and replaced with textured vegetable protein and while wheat is
rising in price, flour can easily be mixed with soy isolate powder. In fact, soy has been cleverly promoted and
incorporated into a vast number of products and most of us now eat it without
consciously deciding to do so. US soy
sales increased from $852 million in 1992 to $4 billion in 2003. In the UK 60 percent of processed foods
contain soy. Since the 1980's it has
become clear the dramatic decline in fertility in western Europe and other industrialized
countries is not a passing trend but looks as if it's here to stay and possibly
get worse. Factors other than soy might
well be implicated, such as excessive use of pesticides or chemical additives,
but nobody seems to have seriously considered the long term effects on the
human race of perverting Mother Nature's plans and lacing all our food with a
deviant endocrine ‘gender-bending' substance.
Ref: Perinatal exposure to genistein alters reproductive
development and aggressive behavior in male mice – Physiology and
Behaviour 2005
Ref: The Effect of Prenatal Exposure to the
Phytoestrogen Genistein on Sexual Differentiation in Rats. The Society for
Experimental Biology and Medicine 1995
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