Is Too Much Soy Bad for You?

Q: I have heard a lot of conflicting information about whether too much soy is bad for you. What is your take on it?

A: Soy is an excellent source of phytochemicals, antioxidants, and other healthy oils and nutrients that help the body lower bad cholesterol levels and reduce inflammation.

Soy is also an excellent source of protein which makes it ideal for vegetarians who don’t get proteins in their diet from animal products.

The “bad” that you have heard about soy probably stems from its high concentration of phytoestrogen, a molecule which is molecularly similar to the body’s own estrogen. High estrogen levels are linked with breast cancer, and the science is still incomplete if plant-sources of estrogen may be linked with increased cancer risk. For patients who are at high risk for breast cancer, I typically recommend that they eliminate soy from their diets.

Because it is so ubiquitous, most people don’t realize that soy can be a highly allergenic food, causing stomach and other gastrointestinal discomfort or problems.

Dr. Brent Ridge is the health expert for Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia. You can call and ask him a question live every Tuesday at 2 p.m. Eastern on Sirius Satellite Radio, Channel 112 (1.866.675.6675). You can also follow along as he learns to grow his own food and raise goats on his farm in upstate New York by visiting www.beekman1802.com.

Got a health question for Dr. Brent? E-mail him at drbrent@care2.com.

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are solely those of the author and may not reflect those of
Care2, Inc., its employees or advertisers.

Tom S.

9:11AM PST on Dec 5, 2011

I don't do any soy, linked to monasato

send a green star

Jennifer C.

4:15PM PST on Dec 4, 2011

Thanks for this great article.

KS G.

4:18AM PST on Mar 3, 2011

Thanks for the article.

Elinor I.

1:40PM PDT on Apr 1, 2010

Sonny - Try Almond Milk. It tastes better (to me) and is fortified withthe same amt. of calcium as soy and cow's milk.

Sonny H.

7:59AM PDT on Apr 1, 2010

I enjoy eating soy in its many forms. I just cannot really drinking soya milk. I guess it will be an "acquired" taste to fully like and enjoy.

Pam K.

1:45PM PDT on Jun 24, 2009

http://thyroid.about.com/cs/soyinfo/a/soy_4.htm
Good article on soy in relation to the thyroid. I've also read on pro-soy sites that if you do have hypothyroidism, soy should be limited and soy should not be consumed within 3 hours of taking your thyroid medication - so no soy latte on the way to work if you've taken your Levothyroxin or Synthroid first thing in the morning. This is a recent discovery for me, so I've just cut out my soy latte, soy dogs and veggie boloney (which I'm sure is a good thing....) and replaced them with Field Roast slices and almond milk (which is quite tasty). I will continue to eat fermented soy products for now and see if I notice any results.

8:24AM PDT on Jun 15, 2009

Jessica,
I have hypothyroidism not hyper. Also, mychidren are both in their 30's and neither have that problem. I do not eat a diet that consists only of soy. I am also vegan.

Past Member .

1:21AM PDT on Jun 15, 2009

thanks...
Kabin
Konteyner

Jessica H.

12:57PM PDT on May 22, 2009

To Elinor I.:

My concern is that in one of your comments, you mention that you struggle with hyperthyroidism, yet you'll continue to take your chances with soy. You then say in a separate comment that you give your children soy milk formula. You could be putting your children in the same position which you are currently in, especially since you actually have hyperthyroidism. Just be aware of that.

I'm not saying you should reverse your principles and eat meat. Absolutely not, if you don't want to. I'm saying consider other sources of protein and vitamins, in addition to fruits and vegetables. If you're concerned about antibiotics in meat, then surely you must be concerned by the fact that most soy out there is genetically modified.

Check out the cookbook "Nourishing Traditions" by Sally Fallon. It's a wonderful book with a number of vegetarian recipes, (though some recipes do have meat products). There are ways to be a vegetarian without "meat substitutes" like soy. You can do it!

9:29AM PDT on Mar 9, 2009

I am certain there are a thousand articles that list reasons for not consuming soy. I, however, have had a soy based diet for 6 years and have never been healthier. I had a spinal fusion with rods and screws placed in my lumbar spine in September and was back to work in November. At my follow-up appointment just last week my surgeon was amazed. I work in a nursing home and very rarely get the many viruses that travel around. When I do it is very mild, so I know that my immune system is fine. I understand that some people don't eat soy because of the breast cancer/estrogen link. It is up to them to decide what to eat. There are also many reasons why meat is bad to consume. Antibiotics have become useless against certain bacteria partly because of the animals who are treated with antibiotics when sick or prophylactically. Steroids are injuceted into or fed to them so they will grow to abnormally large sizes (chickens and turkeys grow so big their legs become malformed and/or break). Meateaters injest all of that. Factory farming is also ruining our environment. The animals that suffer in factory farms produce more waste than all of the people in the world combined (read Temple Grandin's books for more info on this). Finally, eating meat is bad for the animals. I do not want any animal to suffer and die so that I can dine on it's dead flesh. As unpleasant as that sounds that is exactly what meat is - dead flesh. How many people would buy meat ifit wasn't neatly