You could not pay me to take soy powder unless you could convince me that it came from fermented non-GMO soy. Soy is one of the most genetically modified plants on the planet and much of it has been modified to be "round-up ready" or else produce it's own pesticides. Before you consider taking soy I strongly suggest you do a Google search for "soy dangers".
You will find very few people who are not linked to the soy industry or else mainstream apologists or dupes who consider non-fermented and/or GMO soy safe. On the other hand most members here and the very large majority of respected alternative health figures warn against non-fermented and GMO soy.
You will also find a lot of good ol' boys in mainstream medicine and science who favor statins, vaccinations of all sorts, bone drugs, GMO crops (of which soy is one of the top three in the world along with corn and canola) and any other number of items that you won't support for around here. A few years ago you would also have been able to find a lot of the same folks extolling the benefits of Vioxx and a few decades ago, respected doctors and scientists were regularly trotted out to testify in favor of cigarettes. Today we see that same network telling us of the dangers of vitamins and the lack of benefits of fruit and vegetables. In other words, quoting mainstream support does not hold much water in this neck of the woods. Those people by and large follow the money and what they have been taught. The soy industry is a huge multi-billion industry and their lobby and propagana machine is formidable.
In actuality there have been a number of studies and respected doctors, scientists and other health figures who have warned about the dangers of soy. Like those who favor vitamins, minerals, and herbs over unnatural mainstream drugs, their voices have been far overshadowed by the soy machine. Those who are speaking out against soy products, use extensive data and research reports. They also do not have monetary gain as a motive for putting out the information.
On the other hand, those promoting soy show an obvious lack of scientific study and research. Information promoting soy products often refers back to the Asian people's dietary habits and their health records. Soy advocates also do not share critical information about the conditions in which the soy plant is grown, which can greatly change the chemical structure of the plant, causing the soy plant to have antiestrogenic effects, rather than estrogenic effects. Stress, fungus, and other environmental and growth conditions can change the types and amounts of phytochemicals responsible for soy's touted health benefits or risks.
When it comes to the Japanese, it is worth noting that much of their soy consumption is fermented soy, such as miso, tempeh and natto. In addition, the Japanese consume lots of healthy fish and have other habits which may help offset some of the less healthy things they do, much like the healthy food items and lifestyle of those who eat a mediterranean diet contribute to their lack of heart disease and other health problems. According to the Okinawan Study:
"Some of the most important factors that may protect against those cancers include low caloric intake, high vegetables/fruits consumption, higher intake of good fats (omega-3, mono-unsaturated fat), high fiber diet, high flavonoid intake, low body fat level, and high level of physical activity."
Similarly, you may well lead a healthy enough lifestyle and have an otherwise healthy enough diet to enable you to receive benefits from your soy and hopefully not end up with any of the detriments linked to the consumption of unfermented soy.
In regards to longevity, Okinawa is the only population of longest lived peoples who consume significant amounts of soy. Other long lived populations, such as those in Sardinia, those in an area of Nova Scoti and the Seventh Day Adventists in California consume very little soy. What they and the Okinawans all share is a much healthier lifestyle which includes a good amount of physical activity, less stress and a cleaner environment. It is worth noting that Okinawans under 50 years old, which were excluded from the Okinawan study, continue to eat lots of soy but have also adapted much of the American SADs diet and lifestyle. Their life expectancy has now fallen behind that of the Japanese mainland. And just for the record, the 7th Day Adventists in California hold the actual title of longest lived people.
The longest study on soy products began in Hawaii in 1965 with 8,006 Japanese-American men. It questioned the men about 27 foods and drinks. Over the years the men were monitored, questioned, and studied. The study shows a significant statistical relationship between two or more servings of tofu a week and "accelerated brain aging" and even an association with Alzheimer's disease, It is worth noting that the Japanese and other Asian peoples have the highest rates of Alzheimer's in the world.
Regardless of any benefits soy may have in breast and other cancers, soy has been strongly linked with stomach cancers. Japan has one of the highest incidences of stomach cancer in the world. Futhermore, it has been observed that the stomach cancer rates in northern Africa were almost non-existent prior to the introduction of soy. Since then the rates have sky-rocketed.
Studies have also indicated soy dangers for infants and young children, including brain damage, premature aging, early onset of puberty, asthma, allergies and disorders such as ADHD.
My suggestion is that, regardless of how you have fared thus far, the risks of soy are not worth the benefits and perhaps you should strongly consider ditching the tofu and soy milk in favor of perhaps whey and raw goats milk and get some of your lignans from flaxseed instead. And opt for only fermented soy products for the beneficial items in soy. If you can, try to make sure they come from non-GMO soy.
Well "Wade Boggs". for what it is worth, I have researched and written about cancer extensively and the anti-cancer protocol I suggest is one of the highest regarded by alternative medicine authorities to be found anywhere, as is the e-book I wrote. I rather doubt that I was selected as a moderator for the cancer support forum based on my ignorance or wrongful advice. If you want to know what I know about prostate cancer, I suggest you go to the oleander support forum here and see the prostate cancer testimonial of one or more of those who have followed my advice.
I am a non-fermented non organic soy hater for a reason (and at one time I was among the duped soy advocates) - I have researched it and found that such forms of soy can be decidedly unhealthy and can lead to other forms of cancer. If you have had success with soy, then congratulations. Some people have had apparent success with chemo and Vioxx too, but you won't catch me recommending them to anyone.
On the other hand, I don't know all that much about playing third base, smacking home runs or batting over .300
Big and powerful as the soy industry and lobby are, they are nothing compared to the trillion dollar Big Pharma and Mainstream Medicine juggernaut that considers our bodies their exclusive marketplace. Whether it is soy or any other item they cannot patent and profit from, they brook no competition.
I have not said that soy does not work for prostate cancer, only that other things work as well or better without the downsides of non-fermented and/or GMO soy.
Yeah, I do tilt at windmills alright. I also tilt at people who are misinformed about items such as soy.
In your quest, don't overlook lycopene.
http://www.nutraingredients-usa.com/Research/More-support-for-lycopene-s-pros...
More support for lycopene's prostate benefits
By Stephen Daniells, 09-Jan-2008
Lycopene may show benefits against benign prostate hyperplasia (BPH), a condition said to affect more than half of all men over the age of 50, suggests a new study from Germany.
Forty people took part in the new pilot study, which adds clinical data to an area previously lacking, according to the researchers in this month's Journal of Nutrition.
Epidemiological evidence has suggested that tomato-based foods can protect men from prostate cancer. One study found that men eating four to five tomato based-dishes per week were 25 per cent less likely to develop prostate cancer compared to men eating tomatoes only rarely.
Such findings are boosting the lycopene market, with growth rates forecast at over 100 per cent by Frost and Sullivan, albeit from a low base of around €27m ($34m) in 2003.
Researchers, led by Silke Schwarz from the University of Hohenheim, recruited the men with BPH but no signs of prostate cancer, and randomly assigned them to receive either daily lycopene supplements (15 mg, LycoVit, BASF) or placebo for six months.
Benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) is a non-cancerous swelling in the prostate gland of older men. It affects approximately 25 per cent of American Caucasians over the age of 50, with the direct cost of BPH in 2000 calculated to be $1.1 billion (€ 0.9 billion). According to the European Association of Urology, 30 per cent of men older that 65 are affected by BPH.
At the end of the six month intervention period, Schwarz and co-workers reported that levels of prostate-specific antigen (PSA), a marker of prostate health, were reduced in the lycopene group showing improvements in health of the tissue. However, no changes were recorded in the placebo group.
Moreover, no enlargement of the prostate occurred in the lycopene group, whereas growth was observed in the placebo group, as assessed by digital rectal examination and trans-rectal ultrasonography.
"Symptoms of the disease, as assessed via the International Prostate Symptom Score questionnaire, were improved in both groups with a significantly greater effect in men taking lycopene supplements," wrote the researchers.
"In conclusion, lycopene inhibited progression of BPH."
The research was welcomed by Kai Sievert, in charge of business development and product management specialties of BASF's global business unit "Nutrition Ingredients".
"Until now, lycopene's positive effects were documented only for patients already suffering from prostatic cancer. What's new is the knowledge that LycoVit inhibits prostate growth in general. It allows LycoVit to be re-positioned on the food supplement market," said Sievert.
The role of lycopene for prostate health has been questioned recently. A study published last May in published in the journal Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention, reported that the carotenoid may not offer protection for prostates, based on a multi-centre study case-control study including 692 prostate cancer cases, and 844 randomly selected, matched controls.
According to the European School of Oncology, over half a million news cases of prostate cancer are diagnosed every year world wide, and the cancer is the direct cause of over 200,000 deaths. More worryingly, the incidence of the disease is increasing with a rise of 1.7 per cent over 15 years.
Source: Journal of Nutrition
January 2008, Volume 138, Pages 49-53
"Lycopene Inhibits Disease Progression in Patients with Benign Prostate Hyperplasia"
Authors: S. Schwarz, U.C. Obermuller-Jevic, E. Hellmis, W. Koch, G. Jacobi, H.-K. Biesalski