Is soy really harmful to health?
I get asked a lot of questions about harm soy consumption for thyroid. I'll try to make it clear.
There is a huge amount of information on the Internet about the goitrogenic (or goitrogenic effect - increasing thyroid demand for iodine) effect of soy and its products.
The first thing that comes to mind is how then the population of Southeast Asia survives, which consumes soy in large quantities throughout their lives? On the contrary, they are famous for their excellent health and longevity.
Let's take a look at what is known about soy products.
Soy is good for cardiovascular health
In 1999, the FDA, one of the most respected food and drug regulatory agencies in the world, gave permission to manufacturers of soy products to label them as healthy food for cardiovascular health.
In general, this organization issues such permits on the basis of very serious evidence, so there is no reason to doubt the validity of such a decision.
Everyone knows that cardiovascular disease has been the leading cause of death worldwide for decades. Therefore, information about the benefits of soy products in relation to cardiovascular risks is true and relevant.
Reduces the risk of cancer
In 1991 Messina M and Barnes S emphasized in their workanticarcinogenic effect soy isoflavones and the need for further study of these properties. Now a huge amount of work is devoted to the effect of soy isoflavones, such as daidzein and genostein, on estrogen receptors, with their blocking effect on alpha oncogenic receptors, and activating oncoprotective β receptors. You can read about the mechanism of development of epithelial forms of cancer on the example of prostate cancer and in our work. If someone is interested in the details, I will send.
The most digestible protein of all vegetable
It is important to note that soy is the most important source of protein. It is known that vegetable proteins are absorbed in the human body to a lesser extent than animals. Soy is the most digestible protein of all plant sources. 100 grams of boiled soybeans at a low calorie content of about 170 kcal contains 17 grams of protein and 10 grams of carbohydrates, half of which are a valuable nutritional raw material for the intestinal microflora, in the form of insoluble fiber, which does not carry a burden on carbohydrate exchange. There are very few fats in soy - about 9 grams for the same volume of product. In addition, soybeans contain selenium (an essential component of thyroid metabolism), copper, magnesium, iron, phosphorus, B vitamins, vitamin K, calcium, and more.
It is also known that soy contains phytates, substances that bind trace elements such as iodine, calcium, iron, zinc and prevent their absorption. But quite often, soy products are subjected to fermentation processes - fermentation, which destroys phytic acid and significantly reduces its negative impact. So, for example, prepare tofu.
So what is more in soy: harm or benefit?
In other words, soy can not harm if a person consumes enough iodine. There is a lot of iodine in seafood, baked potatoes (with skin), beans, even boiled eggs. Also, iodine is usually included in multivitamins, which are prescribed by default for all citizens.
I would like to point out that like goitrogenic such products as millet, all types of cruciferous (including white and cauliflower), asparagus, cauliflower, mustard, radish, turnip, arugula, kohlrabi, watercress, etc. sin with the effect.
Don't miss out on all these great products. Just take a multivitamin.
*Useful links
www.accessdata.fda.gov
www.cmaj.ca
online.liebertpub.com
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Your Doctor Pavlova
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