Soy - To Eat or Not To Eat? That is the Question...

The above soy products are staples in my diet.  I start my morning with either oatmeal or a high-fiber cold cereal and use soy milk in both of them.  Tofu replaces meats in several of my curries and stir-fries on fasting days or during Lent.  And edemame is a favorite countertop snack.  Still, I may have one cup of soy milk per day, tofu about once a week, and edemame once a week at the most.  Recently, however, soy has been receiving some bad press.  Apparently, consuming large quantities of it can adversely affect people with a tendency for thyroid disorders.  And there is some controversy about it possibly affecting a young woman's future fertility.  These are frightening claims.  But I have to ask - how much soy do you have to consume to have it affect your thyroid or to adversely impact fertility?  I believe that just about anything, taken in excess, will eventually "turn" on you.   

As a breast cancer survivor, I have had to make an educated decision regarding keeping soy in my diet.  First I was told to eat copious amounts of it to stave off cancer since soy blocks (or confuses) estrogen receptors.  Then I read that, because soy is a weak form of estrogen, women with a tendency for breast cancer should avoid it.  So I did some research. 

I found that there are good and bad estrogens.  When too many strong, bad, or chemical, estrogens reach estrogen receptors in our bodies, the potential for cancerous growth arises.  Chemical estrogens actually take the exact shape needed to be the key that fills an estrogen receptor and are found in things like PCB's and other pesticides that are sprayed on fruits and vegetables, among other things.  (Can you understand my obsession with organic produce?)  Weak estrogens, such as those found in soy products, do not fit into the receptor and, thus, block it, keeping other estrogens out. 

Recently a study was released that once again confirmed the benefits of soy consumption for breast cancer survivors.  It said, "Women consuming the most soy products have a lower risk of breast cancer recurrence, according to a recent study in the Canadian Medical Association Journal. Researchers tracked soy isoflavones consumed by 524 women with breast cancer. Postmenopausal women who ate more than 42.3 milligrams of soy isoflavones daily had a 33 percent decreased risk of recurrence, compared with women who ate less than 15.2 milligrams per day. Sources of soy isoflavones included soymilk, tofu, and edamame. Eight ounces of soymilk contains roughly 20 milligrams of soy isoflavones.  The study resonates with findings from a 2009 Journal of the American Medical Association study, showing that women previously treated for breast cancer have less risk of recurrence or death if they include soy products in their routine."   (from www.PCRM.org - Winter 2011)

I guess the question you need to ask yourself is, what category do I fit into?  Are you a breast cancer survivor or someone with a history of the disease running through your family?  And, how much soy is enough for breast cancer benefits and too much if thyroid issues are in your cards?    The 42.3 milligrams of soy isoflavones referred to in the above study can be satisfied with just a little over 2 eight-ounce glasses of soy milk per day.  A serving of tofu has about 23 milligrams per serving, and the actual soybeans (or edemame) are loaded with them (over 100 milligrams).   Because a lot of our soy is now genetically-engineered, I prefer to buy organic soy products and recommend others do the same.

I hope this has helped to demystify soy for you.  If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask.  That's what I'm here for.  Until next time, happy and healthy eating!

P.S.  Check out the photo and recipe for Egg-Free Apple Cake (in column at right)...