6 Reasons to Avoid Soy Milk

The soybean is a rich form of protein and other nutrients that has been the basis of several Asian dishes for thousands of years. It wasn’t a big stretch for the industry to claim that, if a whole food is so good, then surely the concentrated juice of this food must be even better. It certainly caught the imagination of many of the baby boomer generation and they enthusiastically embraced the new “milk without guilt”. Soy growers contribute a substantial levy which is used to market soy products and the marketing has been a major success story with soy milk sales in the US rising from two million dollars in 1980 to 300 million dollars last year. The problem was that no one told the health-minded consumers that the Asians wouldn’t touch soy milk with a barge pole. They understood that there were some problems with this legume so they only ate it in fermented form, i.e. lacto-fermentation neutralises the negatives associated with soy products. So what is wrong with this ‘miracle health food’? Let’s look behind the big budget advertising.

Six Serious Soy Problems

I) Soy milk is one of the highest known
sources of phytates.

Phytic acid is a natural acid found in cereal grains and legumes which inhibits the uptake of important minerals like zinc, magnesium and calcium. The body contains relatively large amounts of magnesium and calcium but very low stores of the trace mineral, zinc. The vast majority of us are deficient in zinc and yet this is the main mineral involved in the health of the prostate gland and prostate cancer is set to become the largest killer of Australian men. Zinc is also linked to breast health and it is essential for the thymus gland and the associated production of killer T cells for the immune system. Zinc is often called “the intelligence mineral” because it also plays a major role in the development and health of the brain and central nervous system. Phytates form insoluble zinc phytates so it is always best to supplement your zinc directly before bed. This ensures that it doesn’t conflict with phytic acid in your breakfast cereal or your lunchtime sandwich.

2) Soy milk contains huge amounts of
enzyme inhibitors.

If Dr Edward Howell is correct then we are born with a certain capacity to produce enzymes and when we have exhausted our enzyme capacity then we die. Every time we eat cooked food we withdraw from this bank account, as opposed to consumption of raw food which contains the enzymes which help to digest it. Every function from breathing to thinking to digesting is enzyme-dependent. If we over-stress the digestive system then metabolic enzymes from the immune system or detox system, for example, are directed to help out with digestion. The very worst thing we can do is to speed up the ‘use by’ date of our enzyme capacity by consuming foods or taking drugs which inhibit this precious workforce. Aspirin is a serious enzyme inhibitor, for example, even when it is taken at low doses to thin the blood. The soya bean contains very high levels of enzyme inhibitors to help prevent premature germination. The most important enzyme affected is trypsin which is involved in the digestion of protein. As a result, soy products can lead to gastric distress, reduced protein digestion and serious deficiencies in amino acids. Animal research has shown that diets high in trypsin inhibitors are linked to serious pancreatic disorders, including cancer. Soy milk effectively concentrates the enzyme inhibitors found in the bean.

3) Soy milk contains haemagglutinin which
compromises delivery of cellular oxygen.

Haemagglutinin is a clot-promoting substance which causes red blood cells to clump together. This, in turn, limits the capacity of these cells to absorb oxygen for delivery around the body and can compromise heart health. Haemagglutinin and enzyme inhibitors are both growth depressors so it is incomprehensible that infant formulas are so often based on soy milk. It becomes blatant stupidity when you understand that soy milk is also a goitrogen (causing enlargement of thyroid gland).

4) Soy milk negatively affects the health
of the thyroid gland.

Soy milk contains genistein which can do irreversible damage to the enzymes that synthesise thyroid hormones. In 1991 Japanese researchers found that as little as 30 grams of soy beans per day for one month resulted in a significant increase in the thyroid stimulating hormone. In fact, several of their subjects developed diffuse goitre and hyper thyroidism and complained of constipation, fatigue and lethargy, even though their intake of iodine was adequate.

5) Soy milk contains unacceptably high
levels of aluminium.

The soy bean is an aluminium accumulator and as a result soy milk contains 100 times more aluminium than cow’s milk. Aluminium has been heavily implicated in the current plague of Alzheimers Disease. Alzheimers now affects one person in four, over the age of 65. Unlike cow’s milk, soy milk is a highly processed material. Soybeans are first mixed with an alkaline solution to remove fibre, then precipitated and separated using an acid wash and, finally, neutralised in an alkaline solution. Acid washing in aluminium tanks leaches aluminium into the end-product. Soy-based formula contains over 1000% more aluminium than conventional, milk-based formula due to the concentrating effect of the powdering process. During the spray drying process, used to create the high protein powder, unacceptable levels of nitrates are formed and a toxin called lysinoalanine is also formed during the alkaline stage of the processing. In the US, if you are unlucky enough to live there, 99% of the soy is genetically modified and it is also one of the most chemical intensive of the broadacre crops in that country. You wouldn’t think that the soy milk formula vs. the breast milk debate would be too hard considering these facts.

6) Soy milk features high levels of phytoestrogens which are proven endocrine disruptors.

Soy contains isoflavones which are currently being researched in relation to treatment for osteoporosis, relief of menopausal symptoms, cancer prevention and heart disease. It sounds an impressive list and you might argue that ‘what could be wrong with consuming these compounds every day in your food?’. The problem relates to balance, a key factor influencing the health of plants, animals and humans. While isofavones are powerful compounds with undeniable medicinal potential, like any medicine, they should only be used for short periods to address specific issues. When we consume them, in concentrated form, on a daily basis, they can become both disruptive and dangerous. When toxicologist, Dr Mike Fitzpatrick, conducted an extensive literature review of soy research, he was shocked to find that consumption of this vegan “wonder food” has been linked to numerous disorders. He found that the phytoestrogen, genistein, had been linked to endocrine disruption in animals, in studies dating right back to the 1950′s. He also discovered research confirming links to infertility, increased cancer and infantile leukemia. Some US commentators are even suggesting that soy has the potential to become the next asbestos. In a recent New York Times feature article, the author, a previous soy supporter, begrudgingly admitted that “not one of the 18 scientists interviewed for this article was willing to say that taking isoflavones was risk free”.

In Conclusion

Both margarine and soymilk are examples of the opportunistic bastardisation of whole foods in pursuit of profit. There has never been a single example where industrial manipulation of whole foods has not seriously compromised the nutritional integrity of that food. At some point, perhaps, we will finally recognise that science cannot improve on the original when it comes to food. Food has been sacred in every society prior to ours and the bombarding of our food with massive amounts of radiation is about as far removed from sacred appreciation as is possible. Removing margarine, soymilk and microwaves from your kitchen is a good start to reclaiming vitality in your diet.