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Is soy protein as bad as they say?

I get pea is a better plant protein (at least I think) but is soy protein really bad?

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Soy protein is not really bad. It has all nine essential amino acids the human body needs to build muscle. It has phytoestrogens which can be a positive or a negative, depending on the consumer. It does contain phytates, which can impair absorption of other nutrients in diets that are already compromised or insufficient.

I use a mix of soy and whey protein isolates in my smoothies, and I eat tofu.

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I typically go with a general rule in regards to things like this and think soy is the perfect example.

Is soy bad in traditional form as in tofu, soy sauce, soy beans, tempeh or things that have been consumed for centuries……probably not.

Processed soy in meat substitutes and highly processed food is probably like all processed food and not good for everyday consumption.

I think soy gets a bad rap but it’s similar to potatoes. A while potato skin and all is very healthy yet most are consumed as skinless chips or fries deep fried which removes most of the nutrition and adds a ton of empty calories.

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The whole “soy contains phytoestrogen” is anti vegetarian and anti Asian. All beans contain phytoestrogens, flax seeds and many other plants do as well but soy is the only one people are obsessed with because of tofu. There is no conclusive evidence it is harmful and some of the longest living populations consume these foods in high amounts.

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Even if the phyto estrogens in soy were bio available, which they are not, it would be a good thing, since estrogen raises libido, it is cardio protective, aids in brain function, helps with muscle nutrient uptake, etc…

Both males and females need estrogen, but unfortunetly we can’t get enough from soy

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Depends, fermented soy (tofu, tempeh) is far lower in phyto-estrogens, non-fermented soy can have side effects: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12060828/ , https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15053944/

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From my understanding, soy has some potential negative effects due to two substances that it contains.

  1. Phytoestrogens - Soy (and flax seeds) contain an insanely high concentration of these compared to any other food. Whether they are “benign” or not is related to whether or not you have a healthy gut microbiome able to break them down before they are absorbed into your body. This guy being interviewed seems knowledgeable about it and how they affect our two different estrogen receptors, worth checking out a few minutes at the specific time that is linked.
  2. Lectins - plant proteins that act as a defense system against “predators” that consume them. They may paralyze and stun insects, while for larger organisms such as ourselves they cause damage in 3 manners: Firstly they open up the tight junctions in our intestines, increasing “leaky gut” and leading the way for more lectins to enter the bloodstream. Secondly, when they get into the blood they mimic our organs when being “scanned” by toll-like receptors, basically immune cells, creating an immune response by out body to actually attack our own tissues (AKA auto-immunity). Thirdly, they have the ability to act like hormones and bind to hormone receptors, blocking the real hormones. Just like the phytoestrogens, a healthy gut microbiome is very important in neutralizing lectins before they are capable of inflicting damage. Not all lectins are bad however, some are even healthy, but the ones in soy are not among those.

Fermented soy (soy sauce, tempeh, miso) have virtually zero phytoestrogens, as they are broken down in the fermentation process. For that reason, if you want to consume soy, it’s probably better to go with one of those. Soy protein powder is.. highly unlikely fermented unless stated on the packaging. I doubt it exists.

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‘They’ are the proponents of the meat industry and other vested interests who want people to consume certain things.

Research shows that up to 55gms of protein from soya everyday is absolutely safe. I wouldn’t have isolated though due to the heavy processing they undergo…

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Here’s a medical review showing how soy protein supplemented in healthy adult males decreased their testosterone levels. They were tested again 2 weeks after discontinuing use and their levels went back up.

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17416779/

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Chemical contamination is a risk.

Also depends on the person. I’ve been in a seven year study with Mayo clinics about phytoestrogens and soy is a no go for my family except in small doses but the overuse of pesticides is the biggest risk to health from the food system as it stands now. And additives in processing but that’s a different topic..

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All of the comments about processing get close but fail to address the fact that raw soybeans are toxic. They have been fermented, boiled, and otherwise processed for centuries because you can’t eat them raw. Let’s not lie by omitting this or dance around it. Humans must process soybeans before consuming them. Is all processing equal? No. The industrial and chemical processing we use to extract soybean oil is particularly concerning. The byproducts textured soy protein and soy flour are also questionable. This is where people need to grow up and recognize nuance. Stop acting like children and trying to say soy is either miraculous or sinister. Good or bad labels cannot work for everyone. Some people love peanut butter and some people die if they smell it. Soy is just as ambiguous. It is capable of causing the same type of suffering in the gut as wheat. Bottom line, tolerance for soy is individual. Don’t believe anything ppl say about the hormonal issues with soy. Especially Passionate redditors.

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Depends on the brand, some of it is quite processed, and I’ve heard it’s the processed soy that is the problem - don’t quote me on this though, this is just what I’ve gathered from reading on this subreddit (and on other similar subreddits).

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Not to sound like a conspiracy theorist… but most of the anti-soy sentiment is drummed up by the meat industry and misogynists who think that real men are carnivores (which is patently bullshit).

Pretty much every argument against soya products are based on statistics/studies that have been blown out of proportion. I think some types of cancer can get bigger when exposed to sex hormones, so people with breast cancer and ovarian cancer (I think) need to be mindful of their soya consumption. But healthy individuals don’t need to worry.

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It is not “bad” per se, but you kinda waste your money compared to milk protein, because the availability is worse between plant based protein compared to milk/animal protein. So if you buy a plant based protein for the same price as milk protein, yes it is bad, because you get less for your money.

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Soy products that are not fully fermented will likely contain phyto-estrogens.

Hormones like these can have very profound effects on human physiology.

I recommend only use fully fermented soy products as condiments, in small amounts.

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Some forms of soy has the isoflavone genistein and daidzein in it. I believe daidzein can be converted to the chemical equol in some human guts (depending on their microbiome content). This is much more common in people with Asian ancestry. You can research this for yourself and confirm it, I believe that the statement ‘soy is estrogenic’ is quite contingent on the isoflavone profile of the given product, but it can be true depending on the circumstance and the amount consumed.

https://www.ars.usda.gov/ARSUserFiles/80400525/Data/isoflav/Isoflav_R2.pdf

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Also in this article they discuss the clearance of isoflavones from the body:

https://jasn.asnjournals.org/content/10/4/864.long

Essentially they state that people with healthy kidneys can excrete most isoflavones within 2 days; however, people on dialysis (kidney failure) may not excrete the isoflavones for days or weeks. He then goes on to talk about the benefits that phytoestrogens (aka isoflavones) have on health.

I’ve been on a carnivore diet and because of that I try to limit my intake of isoflavones; however, I think I may be paranoid somewhat.. Still some foods have **way** more isoflavones than others and there is research that points to an appreciable effect if there is excessive consumption.

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It’s not bad in small amounts like using soy sauce occasionally, but soy is used in lots of food nowadays, and adding pure soy protein on top of that will certainly lead to increased estrogen levels in the body, which is not what you want when looking to build muscle, or just in general

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No, a lot of people are worried about phytoestrogen in soy, tho it is not active in the human body but estrogen in normal dairy is active in the human body

Soybean oil is oxidative and highly processed, so avoid that but tofu and the whole edamame/soybean is very healthy.

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