Lately, I have had a lot of patients ask me what I think about soy. This can be a confusing and controversial subject.  There is so much misinformation, in my opinion, on the web about the benefits of soy isoflavones. I feel obligated to try to shed light on the “other” side of the story.

The soybean is an isoflavone. What is an isoflavone you ask? Isoflavones are a class of phytoestrogens—plant-derived compounds with estrogenic activity. Soybeans and soy products are the richest sources of isoflavones in the human diet. Phytoestrogen mimic the estrogenic hormone in mammals, and because we have our own naturally produced estrogens the addition of these phytoestrogens can lead to hormonal imbalance. This imbalance can cause several issues with our endocrine system such as endometriosis, fibroids, and PCOS.

Soy is a powerful endocrine disrupter in both men and women and has been linked to causing issues with our reproductive organ growth and the early onset of puberty. It has also been linked to breast cancer in women and it may reduce the assimilation of much needed nutrients and minerals. This is especially important for women who are trying to get pregnant or who already are and have the health of their unborn child to think of.

A study from the Harvard School of Public Health found that men who consumed ½ a serving size of soy per day showed a 40% reduction of sperm count! As we know, male subfertility accounts for 30% of fertility problems, so ladies if your man falls into this category it’s time to do some investigating as to why.

Another study has shown that babies fed soy-based formula have 13,000 to 22,000 times more estrogen compounds in their blood than babies fed milk-based formula. This is equivalent to 4 birth control pills! These harmful effects have led to under development of male reproductive organs and again early onset puberty.

Soy is found in a many products. Don’t think just because you are not consuming tofu that you are not eating soy. Most pre-packed foods contain soy, it can even be found in foods you would least expect it so please read your labels.  Another thing to think about, soy is the second largest GMO crop grown in the United States.  What does this translate to? These crops are being fed to our animals, the animals we consume. When our livestock is regularly consuming soy, we in turn are regularly consuming soy.

So how do we avoid it? Keep your focus on eating whole foods and meats that are from animals that have been raised on a grass fed diet. READ YOUR LABELS! I cannot emphasize this enough. There are many other protein options out there such as nuts, nut butters, beans, whole grains, and protein supplements.

If you are interested in reading the full article and study mentioned above:

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2001/09/15/soy-formula-part-two.aspx

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed?term=harvard%20soy%20semen