Re: More Oy on Soy

It still absolutely amazes me how people will not let go of myths even when exposed. Soy IS NOT dangerous. Why is it that there is so much anti-soy propaganda when other commonly eaten foods have the same properties that people claim are dangerous in soy? For example oxalates are also found in high levels in chocolate, purslane, spinach, kale, amaranth, star fruit rhubarb, many nuts, legumes (peanuts, beans), etc. Even excess vitamin C is metabolized in to oxalic acid. I don't see a bunch of websites though warning people to avoid all these foods and vitamin C though.

And as far as phytates these are found in virtually ever grain and seed you can name. Again, where are all the websites warning people against eating seeds and grains for this reason? And why don't any of these websites mention the fact that phytic acid is used to treat cancer? Or that phytic acid has a higher affinity for heavy metals than for beneficial nutrients?

It seems like people have such a high affinity for the negative that they wish to jump on the anything negative bandwagon, and write even more misleading information to pile on top of the already published misleading information. Let's see what the studies are saying:

J Agric Food Chem. 2005 Jul 13;53(14):5670-4.

Oxalate and phytate of soy foods.

"Oxalate is a component of calcium oxalate kidney stones, whereas phytate is an INHIBITOR of calcium kidney stone formation. Thirty tested commercial soy foods exhibited ranges of 0.02-2.06 mg oxalate/g and 0.80-18.79 mg phytate/g."

"Eighteen of 19 tofu brands and two soymilk brands contained less than 10 mg oxalate per serving, defined as a LOW oxalate food."

"Soy foods containing small concentrations of oxalate and moderate concentrations of phytate may be advantageous for kidney stone patients or persons with a high risk of kidney stones."

The 2001 study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry fails to take in to account the phytic acid, which balances the oxalic acid. Furthermore the link failed to mention that the study also mentions peanuts, beans, and lentils, which tested higher for oxalic acid than some of the soy products. The fact that the "More Oy on Soy" article failed to mention this fact just goes to prove a strong prejudice against soy, which makes me question any anti-soy claims that they are making. Since they are leaving out pertinent facts like that to make a point just trashes any credibility they may have had in my eyes.

And it appears that other compounds in soy, including the phytoestrogens, help to protect the kidneys:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11679998?ordinalpos=5&itool=EntrezSystem2....


Protective effects of dietary phytoestrogens in chronic renal disease.

"Phytoestrogens are naturally occurring plant compounds that are present primarily in soybeans as isoflavones and in flaxseed as lignans. Because of their structural similarity to endogenous estrogens, phytoestrogens bind to both estrogen receptors (ER)-alpha and beta (but more strongly to ER-beta) and exert estrogen-like effects. There is increasing evidence that dietary phytoestrogens have a beneficial role in chronic renal disease."

Soy protein has also shown to be helpful in preventing chronic renal failure:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11521513?ordinalpos=8&itool=EntrezSystem2....


Effects of different variants of low-protein diet on progression of chronic renal failure and indices of nutritional status in predialysis stage]

"Soy bean isolate LPD was more effective in inhibition of the disease progression than the standard one. CONCLUSION: LPD can be used for a long time for inhibition of the progression of CRF provided energy requirements are met. LPD with food additives (soya bean protein isolates) hold perspective for correction of metabolic disorders."

I would like to start seeing websites devoted to telling the truth about soy, such as:

-Soy lowers cholesterol due to sterol and soluble fiber content. It also lowers triglycerides.

-Soy provides beneficial omega 3 fatty acids.

-Soy provides lecithin, which lowers cholesterol, helps increase bile, prevents gallstones, helps keep cells flexible, builds brain tissue, provides choline for acetylcholine formation, aids in the absorption of fats, fat soluble vitamins, and essential fatty acids, and aids in proper liver health and function.

-Soy helps to strengthen bones due to its phytoestrogen and mineral content.

-Soy helps prevent hormone imbalances.

-Soy benefits the prostate due to sterol and isoflavone content.

-Soy helps to fight cancer due to its phytoestrogen content.

-Soy helps to protect the kidneys from stone formation and chronic renal failure.
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