ExRx.net

That wouldn't be too surprising. I keep trying to explain to my American cohorts that getting financial, economic and scientific data in China is kind of a joke. I mean it's out there -- it's just not accurate or meaningful. I suppose soy consumption would be low on the totem-pole.

To provide a little balance following are some benefits I see for soy compared to the typical western diet.

Soy doesn't have lactose so lactose sensitive people will see a benefit from switching from cow's milk. This can make them feel better right away but the benefit comes from removing the cow's milk.

Soy is a significant source of Omega 3 in most diets. The O3:O6 ratio is 7:1. The typical western diet is 20:1 so that's an improvement. However, it contains no DHA or EPA and is still far from optimal. Adding fish to the diet, or feeding cows grass would blow this benefit away.

Soy contains Isoflavones which some consider cancer preventative. However, there is contradictory evidence here. (A review of the available studies by the United States Health and Human Services Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) found little evidence of substantial health improvements and no adverse effects, but also noted that there was no long-term safety data on estrogenic effects from soy consumption.)

Soy is considered a cholesterol reducing food. The FDA allows the soy industry to claim that eating soy protein while reducing saturated fats and cholesterol will reduce LDLs and triglycerides, thus reducing heart disease. This is disputed on a number of points. The link between soy and cholesterol is not proven, the link between LDL reduction and heart disease is not proven, and there is a proven link between total mortality increases and reduction in cholesterol for those in normal or low levels of cholesterol, mostly due to increases in cancer and depression.

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Let thy food be thy medicine, and thy medicine be thy food.~Hippocrates
Strength is the adaptation that leads to all other adaptations that you really care about - Charles Staley
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Thanks TimD

Yep and using hormones and gas to manipulate the development of greens and fruits. Frankly, one of the reasons I take a multivit, is because I'm not entirely sure the vegetables I eat are anywhere close to the micronutrient profile they should have.

BTW Some time ago one of the admins here posted links to a couple of documentaries to kickstart a discussion. I saw one and it was quite impressive stuff really, seeing how CAFOs are operated and the gorilla style of big corporations is -simply put- scary.



I won't pretend that I have an explanation, but a couple things came to mind: puberty can be delayed by poorly balanced nutrition or simply not enough calories, so maybe your average 20yo might not be the best sample.

Also, I've read that countries that have been traditionally consuming soy in their diet, eat a significant part of it in fermented forms, which would improve dramatically its nutritional properties.

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I don't know where the blind could lead the sightless
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