The Soy Food Explosion

Soy There’s been a lot of controversy around soy lately.

The main concern of people is that soy, consumed in excess, can increase the risks of developing cancer.

This is why most vegetarians, vegans and other people have started to reduce their soy consumption.

However, you might still be having soy without knowing it.

That is because lately, most processed foods found in supermarkets have soy in their content, e.g.: pastries, ice-cream, candies, cookies, pasta and many others. When you’re eating ice-cream, you’re eating soy as well, which is bad since some people may be allergic to it.

So, should we be more careful when we go shopping? Are soy products all that bad or not?

The answer is still under debate. Many specialists consider that consuming soy can be more beneficial than detrimental. So let’s see both the advantages and disadvantages of soy:

Advantages

First of all, soy and soy based products (tofu, soy milk) are considered a good source of proteins for vegetarians and people with lactose intolerance;
Numerous studies also indicate that adding soy to your diet can decrease your triglycerides level and low-density lipoprotein (“bad” cholesterol);
Although there is not enough evidence that dietary soy can decrease the chances of getting a cardiovascular disease, the fact that it lowers your cholesterol could indicate that;
Many other studies have been conducted, some of them with rather positive results: soy can promote a healthy digestion, it can lower blood –sugar or blood pressure, decrease the risks of getting breast, prostate and colon cancer; however, this results are not conclusive, so there is no enough scientific proof to support them.

Disadvantages

Phytates, a compound found in soy products, has been shown to inhibit the normal absorption of iron, zinc, magnesium and calcium;
Soy crops are generally grown using genetically modified organism, which may be potentially dangerous;
Soy also contains aluminiun from the soil, phytoestrogens and isoflavones, both compounds which mimic the estrogen; this is why soy consumption has been frequently associated with different health conditions such as thyroid cancer, infertility.

The bottom line is that here is no study that can guarantee 100% that soy is bad or good. I believe that, like any other type of food, it should be consumed with moderation.

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