From JJ Virgin’s Leanzine Newsletter
By Dr. Kaayla T. Daniel, PhD, CCN (New Trends, 2005) The Whole Soy Story: The Dark Side of America’s Health Food
Does soy prevent breast cancer or increase the risk? The debate heats up every October during Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
Sadly, soy is not the ticket to breast cancer prevention or reversal. Indeed, numerous studies suggest that it can cause, contribute to, or accelerate the growth of cancer — especially breast cancer. Of course, this hasn’t stopped the soy industry from stepping up its efforts to feed women’s fears while urging health-conscious women to feed on soy foods, soy milk, energy bars and other products. Witness how Vitasoy will give away its soy milk in bright pink containers – called “Pinkies” – to women attending Komen Races for the Cure.
All soybeans – organic, commercial and GM – contain the phytoestrogens known as isoflavones. Although not identical to human estrogens, these plant estrogens are similar enough to fool the body, and can cause significant endocrine disruption. That can lead to a wide variety of symptoms, including thyroid disorders, reproductive problems, breast cell proliferation (a widely acknowledged marker of breast cancer risk), and even cancer itself.
The idea that soy isoflavones could prevent cancer is ludicrous given the fact that they are listed as “carcinogens” in many toxicology and chemistry textbooks. Furthermore, modern industrial processing techniques used to make soy protein isolate, textured vegetable protein and other modern soy products leave toxic and carcinogenic residues. Despite these well-known hazards, the soy industry makes the improbable claim that soybeans are the key to cancer prevention and reversal. After all, Asians have lower rates of breast cancer and “everyone knows” they eat a lot of soy.
In fact, Asians eat soy in very small quantities, as a condiment in the diet and not as a staple food. What’s more, they eat old-fashioned whole soy bean products such as miso, tempeh, natto and tofu, not the new heavily processed products sold by the soy industry such as soy milk, veggie burgers, shakes and energy bars.
The Israeli Health Ministry, French Food Agency, German Institute of Risk Assessment and Cornell University’s Center for Breast Cancer and Environmental Risk Factors have all warned women to “exercise caution” regarding soy consumption if they’ve been diagnosed with, or have a family history of, breast cancer. Clearly, possible benefits are far outweighed by proven risks.
The Whole Soy Story: The Dark Side of America’s Health Food, in this groundbreaking 457-page expose tells the whole soy story and the true soy story of why soy is not a health food, is not the answer to world hunger, does not prevent disease and has not even been proven safe.
Although soy is widely marketed as a miracle food, hundreds of epidemiological, clinical and laboratory studies link soy to malnutrition, digestive problems, thyroid dysfunction, cognitive decline, ADD/ADHD, reproductive disorders, immune system breakdown, even heart disease and cancer. Most at risk are children given soy formula, vegetarians who eat soy as meat and dairy replacements and adults self-medicating with soy foods and supplements.
Kaayla T. Daniel, PhD, CCN, is known as The Naughty NutritionistTM because of her ability to outrageously and humorously debunk nutritional myths. She is the author of The Whole Soy Story: The Dark Side of America’s Favorite Health Food, which has been endorsed by leading health experts including Russell Blaylock, Kilmer McCully, Joseph Mercola, Doris J. Rapp, Jonathan Wright and JJ Virgin. A popular speaker and seminar leader, she will speak at the November 2009 Weston A. Price Foundation conference. In 2010 Dr. Daniel will take her three-day workshop on healing infertility nationwide. She is available for nutritional consultations and can be reached at kaayla@drkaayladaniel.com.
© 2009 JJ Virgin & Associates, Inc. JJ Virgin, PHD, CNS is a celebrity wellness expert, author, public speaker and media personality. She is internationally recognized as the leader of the Weight Loss Resistance Revolution™ and trains other health care professionals in her program. She is the president of the National Association of Nutrition Professionals, www.nanp.org.
If you are frustrated with your body and feel like nothing you are doing is working, take her free quiz “Are You Weight Loss Resistant?” at www.jjvirgin.com and receive her monthly LEANzine loaded with insider information on fighting fat and getting lean for life!
