I was reading an article in Mens' Health Magazine on Soy Protein this morning. I found it quite interesting especially since after WLS I have eaten a boatload of it!
Soy protein is ALL I eat between the protein bars, shakes and other items Mrs. MM decides to cook up with the stuff. To me Soy Protein shouldn't have any benefits because it's ingredient contradicts itself; one causes cancer and the other stops it? I wonder!
Soy Protein gained FDA approval in 1999. Studies say just 25 grams a day will fight off heart disease and prostate cancer; WOW, send me a truck full!! These are the TOP two leading causes of death in men in the U.S. The CDC states the following:
| All Males, All Ages | Percent* |
| 1) Heart disease | 27.2 |
| 2) Cancer | 24.3 |
Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men in the U.S., not counting skin cancer. It is the second most common cause of cancer death in men. While all men are at risk for prostate cancer, some factors increase risk. These include older age, a family history of prostate cancer, and being African American.
Not all medical experts agree that screening for prostate cancer saves lives. Currently, there is not enough evidence to decide if the potential benefits of prostate cancer screening outweigh the potential risks. Given the uncertainty about the benefit of screening, CDC supports informed decision making. Informed decision making occurs when a man—
- Understands the nature and risk of prostate cancer.
- Understands the risks of, benefits of, and alternatives to screening.
- Participates in making the decision to be screened at a level he desires.
- Makes a decision consistent with his preferences and values.
Based on this study who would not want to eat the stuff....... I know I would like to live as long as possible!
However, the benefits of this protein are being questioned. Here is what I got out of the article, I may dump eating all together!!
Babies: Weaned On the Bean
A whopping 35 percent of bottle-fed babies in the United States receive
at least some of their protein from soy. The American Academy of
Pediatrics (AAP) is taking steps to change this: It recommends that all
infants who cannot be breastfed be given cow's-milk formulas as the
first preferred alternative. Healthy full-term infants should be given
soy formula only when medically necessary, the AAP's 2008 report
states. Babies with an extreme form of lactose intolerance fall into
this category, but many others who suffer from colic and excessive
crying are switched to soy formula despite a lack of proven benefits.
Paul Cooke, Ph.D., a reproductive biologist at the University of
Illinois, has studied mice raised on enough genistein to make their
blood levels comparable to those of human infants fed soy formula.
Among other worrisome findings, he discovered significant shrinkage of
the thymus gland, a key part of the immune system. "The thymus," says
Cooke, "is like a finishing school for white blood cells -- it's where
they go to mature."
Whether the same effect occurs in human infants is difficult to say, but a 2001 study in the Journal of the American Medical Association
surveyed over 800 adults, ages 20 to 34, who were fed either soy-based
or cow's-milk formulas during their infancy. One of the few differences
to emerge was that the group raised on soy formula regularly used more
asthma and allergy medications in adulthood. Was this just a quirk of
the sampling -- or could it represent a subtle impairment of immune
function?
Teens to 20s: Faux Muscle Fuel
Most weightlifters, whether they're dedicated competitors or occasional
gym rats, understand the importance of protein in muscle building and
repair. And research has shown that the timing of when you swallow that
protein is just as critical -- a fact that's created a market for
easy-to-consume protein supplements.
In a 2005 study in the Journal of Nutrition, researchers comparing soy to casein concluded that "the biological value of soy protein must be considered inferior to that of casein protein in humans." Among other disadvantages, the researchers found, a significantly larger portion of soy is degraded to the waste product urea. Moreover, it contributes to less protein synthesis in the body.
20s to 40s: Privates in Peril
In a Harvard study published last year in the journal Human
Reproduction, Jorge E. Chavarro, M.D., Sc.D., and his colleagues found
a strong association between men's consumption of soy foods and
decreased sperm counts. Ninety-nine men reported their intake of 15
different soy-based foods, then underwent semen analysis. Those in the
highest category of daily soy intake averaged 32 percent fewer sperm
per milliliter of ejaculate than those who went sans soy.
50s and Beyond: Brain Drain
Last summer, Eef Hogervorst, Ph.D., of England's Loughborough
University, and other researchers published a study on soy products and
dementia risk. The researchers focused their attention on older
Indonesians, members of a culture in which tofu has long been a dietary
staple. Hogervorst says her team began the study confident of finding a
benefit from tofu's phytoestrogens. "Almost everything we'd learned
from animal and cell-culture work indicated that estrogenlike compounds
protect the brain," she says.
In older men and older women alike, however, they found exactly the
opposite indication: Participants over age 68 who were regularly eating
the most tofu had double the risk of dementia and memory impairment as
those consuming a more moderate amount. "We were very surprised by this
at the time," says Hogervorst, "but a new consensus is starting to form
now. Hormones and hormonelike products are not very good for people
over 65."
And, this from the Chicago Tribune:
- Thyroid: Some believe that the excessive consumption of soy foods and supplements can cause hypothyroidism. Those in the pro-soy camp believe it only becomes an issue if the consumer is iodine deficient or otherwise susceptible to thyroid or goiter problems.
- Breast cancer: Although isoflavones from soy foods may help prevent breast cancer, concentrated soy isoflavone extracts may set the stage for cancerous tumor growth, according to the American Cancer Society
- Heart health: Although the Food and Drug Administration continues to back its 1999 claim that "25 grams of soy protein a day, as part of a diet low in saturated fat and cholesterol, may reduce the risk of heart disease," last year the American Heart Association urged the FDA to back off the claim, citing more recent research showing "the direct cardiovascular benefit of soy protein or isoflavone supplements is minimal at best."
- Flatulence: Gas has been called the No. 1 consumer complaint against soy, which is why the industry trumpeted a study out of Singapore last year that seemed to reduce the amount of oligosaccharides -- flatulence-causing carbohydrates -- in soy yogurt. Stay tuned.
- Sperm concentration: Controversy continues to surround how soy affects reproductive function. Some studies have shown that soy has no ill effect on sperm health, but a Harvard School of Public Health study showed that men who ate soy had lower sperm concentrations than those who didn't. Many of these men also happened to be obese or overweight, which study authors admitted might have made them more sensitive to the phytoestrogen in soy.
Whey Protein, although much more expensive than soy is probably better for you, especially men. I am sure the negative impact of soy is not as great as the research states and that any effects at all lay somewhere in the center. Hell, we would all starve to death if we stopped eating everything the FDA, CDC, and NIH told us had any adverse health conditions.
I'm hungry. Cheeseburger?
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